Kurdish poet Çomak was arrested in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison for membership in the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party. While in prison, he has published eight books of poetry, gaining international recognition as one of Türkiye’s longest-serving political prisoners. After decades in prison, he was released in November 2024. His work has earned him honorary membership in several PEN centres, including Wales, Norway, and Ireland, and he received the Metin Altıyok Poetry Prize in 2022. Despite being eligible earlier, his conditional release was denied twice before his eventual freedom.