URFA - Zekeriya Muhammed from Rojava, who was imprisoned in Hilvan Prison, was battered with gun butts by the soldiers in the hospital where he went for treatment. İHD Riha Branch Co-Chair Mustafa Vefa said that they will file a criminal complaint against those responsible.

 

North and East Syrian Zekeriya Muhammed, who was imprisoned in Hilvan Type T Closed Prison, was attacked by soldiers in the hospital where he went for treatment. Having been detained on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization", Muhammed has been in the Hilvan No. 1 Type T Closed Prison for 2 years. Muhammed was brought to the 500-bed Mehmet Akif Inan Training and Research Hospital located in the center of Riha (Urfa) because he was disturbed by his tonsils. Allegedly, the soldiers accompanying Muhammad battered Muhamed in the hospital's cell set up for prisoners.

 

Human Rights Association (İHD) Riha Branch Co-chairperson Mustafa Vefa, who went to the prison and met with Muhammed about the incident, said:  We were aware of the incident after the application was made to their association. The assault happened on Tuesday last week. Muhammed was examined without handcuffs after he was brought to the hospital, and after the examination he was handcuffed again at the door of the doctor's room. The handcuffs were tightened too much during the handcuffing of his hands and that Muhammad objected to this, and the gendarme who was there said to Mohammed, "Who are you, are you talking to us like that?"

 

PRISONER BATTERED WITH A WEAPON STOCK'

 

Stating that nothing was done to Muhamed in front of the doctor's door and that after a while, 15-20 military personnel entered the ward and started beating Muhammed, Vefa said: “The gendarmerie personnel started hitting his head with the butt of the gun and as a result, Muhammed's head was broken. They take him this way, put the soldier in the ring and bring it back to prison.

 

‘POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE APPROACHED WITH HATE’

 

After a person goes to prison, his bodily and vital security must be protected by the state. According to the conventions to which the State is a party and its own national laws, no prisoner should be treated in the same way, regardless of the reason for entering the prison. Unfortunately, the situation that we encounter all the time is that both the law enforcement and prison staff treat political prisoners differently. Especially in Urfa, their attitudes towards political prisoners who came from Rojava sometimes contain racism because their families are not here and perhaps they do not know the law, they can easily be subjected to arbitrary treatment and are exposed to intense human rights violations."