ANKARA - Yakup Brukanli, who set his body on fire against the severe isolation and violations of rights in Ereğli High Security Prison, said: "Every person should protect their identity, sociality and dignity against all kinds of attacks."

 

Isolation, oppression and violence are deepening in prisons, and human rights violations are increasing. Yakup Brukanli, who was held in Konya Ereğli High Security Prison, which came to the fore with severe isolation and violations of rights, and set his body on fire on October 28, 2022, told about his experiences in a letter he sent to the detainees in Sincan Women's Closed Prison.

 

Mentioning the violations he was subjected to in his letter, Brukan said that he set his body on fire to protest the silence. A part of the letter of Brukan, who has serious health problems due to 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his body, is as follows;

 

'I WAS EXILED'

 

“I was exiled from Dilok to Eregli Type T Closed Prison in March 2022. I stayed in the type T for about 5-6 months. During our stay here, we tried to adapt by considering domestic and foreign policies. Like everywhere else, this process has been very foggy and stormy for us. When foggy and stormy weather combined, we inflicted the wrath of Zeus. I know its most basic feature is punishment. He punishes those who do not accept what he wants, in the most severe way. It does not recognize any rules and regulations because there is no one above him. That being the case, we saw ourselves here for the last time. When Zeus exists everywhere, you come across his whip without saying 'Hello'. He always seeking revenge. When our first hello started like this, the rest was like this.

 

'WENT ON HUNGER STRIKE'

 

We first came here with 15 friends. They took us all into cells under the name of rooms. This is exactly how the system is, as they call it the 'room'. There are 6 cells side by side in each corridor. They put us all in cells in a block. I talked to the prison director to say that we do not accept this situation and not to go to the cells. I wrote a petition to the relevant institutions. When I did not receive a positive response, I wrote a petition to the Ministry of Justice and went on a hunger strike.

 

EVERY PERSON SHOULD PROTECT THEIR DIGNITY

 

When everyone closed their ears and remained silent against this arbitrary and unlawful treatment, I myself saw this method as correct in order to break the rusted understanding and mentality. A human being is a living being with his identity and social values. Without these, it is not possible to talk about human sociality and existence. This is a state of consciousness. The more developed a person's awareness of his social values, the more he determines his practical attitude. In my opinion, every person who says "I am an individual" should protect his identity, sociality and dignity against all kinds of attacks.

 

THEY SENT ME BACK TO PRISON DESPITE BURNS

 

I should explain my state of health. There are injuries to the level of 30-35% in my body. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns. When I was first taken to the hospital, I did not accept the treatment. They just bandaged the wounds and sent them back despite burns. I change the medical dressings in the infirmary daily. First degree burns healed. Third-degree burns were reduced to second-degree, and second-degree burns continue.”