AYDIN - Being released from Aydın Prison and stated that it was not possible for Yılmaz Ekinci to commit suicide, the prisoner said: "It is not possible for him to find something to hang himself with. They even take your shoelaces. I think that his neck was broken and then they made it look like suicide."
Aydın Type E Closed Prison, where violations of rights increased during the coronavirus (Kovid-19) pandemic, is on the agenda once again with the suspicious death of 28-year-old prisoner Yılmaz Ekinci. The prison administration claimed that Ekinci committed suicide on January 13. However, both the fact that the camera footage recording towards the door of the observation room where Ekinci's dead body was removed was not given to the family, and the report prepared by the prison administration about the hanging and the contradictions in the information conveyed to the family made the death look suspicious.
The camera footage and witness statements we reached through the family also increased this suspicion. While it is seen in the footage that Ekinci was taken forcibly to the observation room by the guards before he died, the detainees, whose statements about the incident were taken, reported that Ekinci was battered by the guards.
THERE ARE VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS IN THE PRISON
There are intense violations of rights in Aydın Prison, which has come to the fore once again with Ekinci's death. Excess capacity in the wards, which is cited as one of the reasons for Ekinci's suspicious death, is one of these violations. During the Covid-19 outbreak, 28 people were held in the wards made for 16 people and nearly 50 people were being held in wards made for 30. It has been learned that 1,302 people are currently being held in the prison, which has a total capacity of 870 people. In addition, the lack of access to health care and transferring people from prison to prison are among these violations.
THERE ARE SUSPICIOUS DEATHS IN PRISON
In addition to the violations, there are also suspicious deaths in prison. It was alleged that prisoner Muharrem Bahçıvan, who died suspiciously in 2016, committed suicide in his ward. On March 26, 2022, prisoner İbrahim Kaplan, who had a heart attack, died due to late intervention.
PRESSURES INCREASED IN PRISON
It is stated that after Ekinci's death, the pressure on the detainees still continues. Arguing that Ekinci did not commit suicide, the detainees were transferred to different prisons. The remaining detainees are also threatened with being exiled to other prisons.
A prisoner released from Aydın Prison, who did not want to be named for security reasons, spoke to our agency about Ekinci's death and the violations of rights in prison.
THE PRISONER ADMINISTRATION MADE IT LOOK LIKE A SUICIDE
Stating that he heard the conversations between Yılmaz Ekinci and the guards on the day of the incident, and that they heard the news of his death right after, the prisoner said: "We could not believe what happened because there is no place to hang himself in the observation room. Let alone finding something to hang yourself with they even take your shoelaces. They just put you there in pants and a t-shirt. You can never put a sharp object or a rope in there. This is impossible as there has been suicides there before. I think that his neck was broken, then they made it look like suicide.”
TIME OF DEATH IS COVERED UP
The prisoner said: "When we watch the prison footage given to the family, we can see that the footage is cut. There are no footage of the time they took him up the stairs and into the room, and the time gap when his body was found. It's the images that matter. There are only images of Yilmaz being taken to the stairs. The missing footage indicates they battered him. They batter people when they put them in the observation room. I've been to the observation room 4-5 times. They battered me in there as well."
YILMAZ IS NOT THE KIND OF PERSON TO COMMIT SUICIDE
Stating that Yılmaz Ekinci is not the kind of person to commit suicide. Yılmaz did sports and took care of himself. Everyone who knows Yılmaz would say he would never do such a thing. Even if Yılmaz committed suicide, there is negligence of the guards. The guard was supposed to check the rooms every hour but the guard don't come and check the prisoners until the morning even if they have to."