SIRNAK - Veysi Altan, being held in Maraş Türkoğlu No. 1 Type T Closed Prison, stated that they were subjected to threats by the guards and said, "If something happens to our children, the state is responsible."

 

Veysi Altan, who is imprisoned in Maraş Türkoğlu No. 1 Type T Closed Prison, said in a weekly phone call with his family that they were threatened by the guards. Arrested in 2017, Altan received a life sentence. Mother Emine Dağ, who met with her son, said that in general, prisoners in prison are exposed to rights violations and oppression. The mother stated that she sent money to her son via the PTT, but it was not delivered to her son for a long time. Emphasizing that violations of rights in prisons increased especially during the pandemic, Mother Dağ drew attention to the fact that for one and a half years, they could not make contact visit due to the pandemic and visits were limited to only two people. Dağ said, “Babies and children are considered as one person.. My son is married and has two children, but he has never once seen his two children together. Either me and a grandchild, or my daughter-in-law and his child can go to the visits. We go there from a very distant city and we can't even see him properly."

 

THEY ARE HELD IN PRISONS FAR AWAY FROM THEIR HOMETOWN

 

Stating that the prisoners are deliberately kept in cities far from their families, Dağ said, “They take our children to cities far from us on purpose. If my son was in a nearby prison, I would go visit him every 15 days. Now I haven't been able to go see my son for 5 months. I'm just talking to him on the phone. When I go to the prison to visit him, I see him behind the windows. I can't hug and kiss my son. My grandchildren can't hug and kiss their fathers. This is how families are punished."

 

THREATS OF GUARDS

 

Dağ described her last phone call with her son as follows: “He told me things were not going good. He told that the guards are very tough on them and threatening them. He told me the guards can attack them any minute and if he dies, he said we should know that they are being threatened with death by these guards."

 

'IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO OUR CHILDREN, THE STATE IS RESPONSIBLE'

 

Adding that they are exposed to such oppression because they are Kurds, Dağ continued: “Our children are already in prison. Are you still afraid of them? This tyranny must end. If something happens to our children, the state is responsible. We will ask the state to account for this. We will protect our children and fight until we die. We demand the release of all political prisoners.”