İZMİR - While some of the prisoners protesting the violations of rights in Kırıklar No. 1 Type F Prison were transferred to a different prison, an investigation was launched against some of them.
Political prisoners in Kırıklar No. 1 Type F Closed Prison, located in the Buca district of İzmir, set fire to a ward twice on 15-19 June against the isolation policies, their detention in different blocks and other rights violations. The prisoners who participated in the ward burning action were transferred to Izmir High Security Prison, located on the same campus.
The delegation consisting of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and the Human Rights Association (İHD) and İzmir MP of the Greens and Left Future Party (Green Left Party) Burcugül Çubuk met with the prison prosecutor and prisoners on the situation in question on June 23. The spokesperson of the İHD İzmir Branch Prisons Commission, Nehir Bilece, who was part of the delegation, stated that they met with the prisoners who participated in the ward burning protest and were in the adjacent wards.
İHD İzmir Branch Prisons Commission, Nehir Bilece
THE PRISONERS ARE HELD IN CELL
Stating that the prisoners we interviewed stated that they constantly lingered during their meetings with the prison administration, Bilece said: "The prisoners carried out an act of burning wards against the intensifying isolation. We saw that the prison administration did not allow prisoners to exercise their rights given to them by the law. They were held alone in cell.
Other prisoners also protested the isolation policies by shouting slogans and banging on doors. An investigation was launched against the prisoners who participated in the aforementioned protests. They were asked to defend themselves, but the prisoners did not make an oral defense. Everything that prisoners do to resolve violations of their rights results in disciplinary punishment, and the increase in pressure is ill-treatment."
'IMPUNITY INCREASES VIOLATIONS'
Drawing attention that the isolation policy has been continuing in Turkish prisons for a long time, Bilece said: "The arbitrary practices of the administration continue in many practices such as hospital referrals, violations of rights in searches, food and water. Political prisoners are discriminated against in their probation rights. We will continue to work to end these practices. We will continue to share our reports with the prison administration, the Ministry of Justice and the Parliament. These arbitrary practices need to be abandoned. Both judicial and administrative investigations should be initiated to whoever is responsible for what happened. Impunity policies increase rights violations."