MERSİN - TUAY-DER Çukurova Secretary Ergin Altuntaş drew attention to the isolation in Imralı and said that the violations in prisons had reached a level comparable to those of July 14 and September 12.

 

Violations of rights in prisons, such as strip search, not being taken to hospital as a punishment, assault, harassment and rape, which are imposed on prisoners, continue to increase. Ergin Altuntaş, Secretary of Çukurova Association for Solidarity and Assistance with Families of Prisoners (TUAY-DER), made assessments on the isolation policies and rights violations in prisons in the region.

 

'IT WAS BARBARIC'

 

Stating that the isolation policies in Imrali are now implemented in all prisons, Altuntaş said, "These practices, the violations of rights experienced in recent years, have reached a level that is head to head with July 14, 1982 (Dungeon resistance in Diyarbakır prison) and September 12, 1980 (Martial law was declared after coup)" Reminding that nearly 100 prisoners were transferred to different prisons about a month before from Kırıkkale F-Type Prison, Altuntaş stated that the guards beat the prisoners to death during the transfer and said, "What the guards did was barbaric. Fortunately, there were no deaths as a result of the beating of the soldiers." Stating that the detainees are kept in solitary cells in the prisons to which they were transferred, Altuntaş said that the clothes of the detainees were confiscated there and their families were not informed about their transfer to another prison. Drawing attention to the situation of those who were transferred to the prisons in Buca, Şakran and Tekirdağ, Altuntaş said: "Unbelievable atrocities were committed by prison staff in these prisons." Altuntaş also stated that the medical report they demanded to be given was not given to them.

 

'THEIR LIVES ARE IN DANGER'

 

Stating that there were simultaneous raids on the wards in Tarsus Type T Prison, Altuntaş said, "The raids on the wards, which have never been done during the pandemic, started again. The wards were being raided simultaneously for the last 3 weeks. Even personal belongings were confiscated during the raids. Everyone's ward has been changed. The prison administration puts ordinary prisoner between political wards to provoke the political prisoners, just like they did in Bünyan Prison. This puts the prisoners in great risk. Their lives are in danger." 

 

A PRISONER FROM ROJAVA IS MISSING

 

Drawing attention to the situation of a prisoner from Rojava that was released from Bünyan Prison, Altuntaş stated that the released prisoner was first taken to Kayseri Provincial Migration Directorate and then deported to Syria, but there is no information about what happened to him. As far as we know, he is missing."  Noting that a family of 11 people from Afrin was arrested and brought to Turkey, Altuntaş said that these people were also held in different prisons in Hatay.

 

'MEDICATION OF PRISONERS NOT GIVEN'

 

Reminding that there are seriously ill prisoners in all prisons, Altuntaş said, “There are a lot of ill prisoners in prisons. Some of them got sick because of the prison conditions. Some of them are in serious condition and they are not given their medication. I call on the authorities to fulfill their responsibilities."

 

 

MA / Mehmet Şah Oruç