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William "Billy" Hayes (born April 3, 1947) is an American writer, actor, and film director. He is best known for his autobiographical book ''Midnight Express'', about his experiences in and escape from a Turkish prison after being convicted of smuggling hashish. He was one of hundreds of U.S. citizens in foreign jails serving drug charge sentences following a drug smuggling crackdown by foreign governments. ==Background== Hayes, an American student, was caught trying to smuggle four pounds of hashish out of Turkey on October 7, 1970. He was originally sentenced to four years and two months in a Turkish prison; with his release date weeks away, he learned that the authorities had chosen to penalize him with a life sentence for smuggling instead of possession. Hayes was imprisoned at Sağmalcılar Prison in Turkey.〔(INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM HAYES/CODEL MURPHY / 030925Z MAY 74 ), U.S. State Department, Ankara, May 1974.〕 Following an incident in prison, he was transferred in 1972 to Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital, described as a "lunatic asylum." The United States Department of State on several occasions pressured Turkey to transfer sentencing to the United States, however Turkish foreign minister Melih Esenbel stated that the United States was not in a position to exercise a sentence handed down by Turkish courts.〔(HAYES CASE / 190938Z MAR 75 ), U.S. State Department telegram, Ankara, March 1975.〕 Esenbel stated privately to officials that a release might be possible on humanitarian grounds if Hayes' physical or mental health was deteriorating, but in a private consultation, Hayes stated to U.S. diplomats that his experience at Bakirkoy Mental Hospital in 1972 was highly traumatic and he did not have confidence that the hospital would certify him for early release;〔 Hayes also stated that he felt attempts to win early release would jeopardize his prospects of being transferred to a more desirable half-open prison. On May 12, 1975, the Turkish Constitutional Court declared amnesty for all narcotics offenses which shortened Hayes sentence from life to 30 years. He was transferred to İmralı Prison on July 11, 1975. Declassified State Department telegrams indicated that in discussions between the U.S. embassy and Vahap Aşıroğlu, Turkish Director of Consular Affairs, Aşıroğlu believed Hayes would probably be released from prison on parole in October 1978, which in practice meant that a local prosecutor would declare him persona non grata and expel him from the country.〔(BILATERAL AGREEMENT FOR REPATRIATION OF FOREIGN NATIONAL PRISONERS TO COMPLETE SENTENCING IN OWN COUNTRY / 091243Z MAY 75 ), U.S. State Department, Ankara, May 1975〕 He escaped from İmralı on October 2, 1975, via taking a rowboat at night to Bandirma, blending in with locals and then heading westbound across the border to Greece. He was deported from Thessaloniki to Frankfurt on October 20, 1975 after several weeks' detention and interrogation about what military intelligence Hayes possessed about Turkey. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Billy Hayes (writer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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