WAN - Muzaffer İşnaz, who went for an open visit to his son in Erzincan Type L Prison, stated that they were forced to “speak Turkish” by the guards. 

 

Violations of rights and pressures against political prisoners in prisons continue to increase day by day. Erzincan Type L Closed Prison is also on the agenda with arbitrary practices and rights violations. In the prison where strip searches and standing roll-calls were imposed on prisoners before, this time families were forced to “Speak Turkish” during the open visit. 

 

'SPEAK TURKISH' IMPOSITION 

 

In 2015, it is learned that the family of Nihat İşnaz, who was arrested after being detained in Wan in 2015, was forced to “speak Turkish”. It is stated that other families were also subjected to the same coercion and prisoners reacted to it. Father Muzaffer İşnaz stated that during their visit in July, the guards warned them to “speak Turkish”. 

 

ILL PRISONERS ARE NOT TREATED

 

Father İşnaz said that his son was arrested based on witness testimony and has been in prison for 8 years. “My son was a driver working for the municipality. When he was first arrested, he was taken to Van High Security Prison. On February 6, right after the Mereş earthquakes, he was exiled to Erzincan Type L Closed Prison. Since the day he was exiled, I have only been able to see him once. My son has had problems with his fingers since birth. He was given an appointment for surgery, but after he was exiled, he was neither operated on nor given another appointment. As many sick prisoners are not being treated, my son is not being treated either. They are waiting for them to die. They have the right to be treated” he said.  

 

ONE MONTH VISITATION BAN

 

İşnaz said that she could not go to his son's visitation due to financial difficulties and said: “Why are they taking prisoners to a city far away from their families?  If he was here, at least we would be able to go to his visitation in comfort. It is cruelty and insult to exile our children to cities far away from us.  Their aim is to separate families and prisoners from each other, but they will not succeed.” 

 

İşnaz described what happened during their last visit in July as follows: “We were speaking Kurdish in the visitation hall and the guards warned us to speak Turkish. I told them that I don't speak Turkish, and then a quarrel broke out between my son and the guard. During my weekly phone call on Monday, I learned that my son was given a one-month visitation ban by the prison administration. I don't know the reason for the visitation ban, but it could be because of the argument on the day of the visit.” 

 

'THE SOLUTION IS TO END THE ISOLATION'

 

Referring to ill prisoners and prisoners who are prevented from being released despite completing their sentences, İşnaz continued as follows: “Prisoners who have completed their sentences are imposed 'remorse'. Since they refuse, their executions are burned unjustly and unlawfully. They are trying to subjugate them with this. But our prisoners will not submit. These prisoners are in prison not for themselves but for this people. This problem is not only the problem of prisoners' families. Everyone should see this situation as their own problem. Everyone must protect the ill prisoners, the prisoners whose execution is burned and whose release is prevented. For this problem to be solved and justice to be achieved, the isolation policy must end.”