To: Turkish Authorities, International Human Rights Institutions, and the Global Public

We, the undersigned, call for the immediate release of Merve Zayım, a teacher and mother who has been unjustly detained in Edirne L-Type Prison while in the final weeks of a high-risk pregnancy and has now been hospitalized to give birth under custody.

Merve was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison solely for working at a legally operating school later shut down by decree, alleged use of the ByLock app, and uncorroborated witness statements. The European Court of Human Rights, in its Yalçınkaya v. Türkiye judgment, has already ruled that these grounds do not constitute lawful evidence for terrorism-related convictions. Her case has been pending before the Court of Cassation for over 40 months, yet she was re-arrested in July 2024 on claims of violating judicial control, and four release requests have been denied.

This detention blatantly violates Turkish law (Law no. 5275 Article 16/4 of the Law on Execution of Sentences), which requires suspension of sentences for pregnant women, as well as international human rights standards that protect mothers and children from inhuman and degrading treatment. Her newborn child now risks entering life behind bars, a situation that shocks the conscience and contradicts the most basic principles of justice and humanity.

We demand:

• The immediate release of Merve Zayım and the suspension of her sentence in line with Turkish and international law.
• An end to the unlawful use of ByLock, closed-school employment, and vague witness statements as criminal evidence, in compliance with the ECtHR’s Yalçınkaya ruling.
• Greater protection of women, mothers, and children from arbitrary detention and inhuman treatment.

A baby’s first sight should not be prison bars. Justice, law, and conscience demand her freedom.