Prisoner in Kayseri Bünyan Type T Closed Prison No 2 Şaban Kaygusuz was cut off from his phone call with his family because he spoke Kurdish. Yesterday, he had a weekly 10-minute phone call with his family, but the call was interrupted 3 minutes before the end of the call. Family members stated that a guard said, “Kurdish speaking is forbidden” before the call was interrupted. Kaygusuz, a 90 percent disabled prisoner who is missing his right hand and right leg, announced last week that he was placed in solitary confinement. During the meeting today, Kaygusuz stated that he is still being held in solitary confinement and that he will remain in solitary confinement until his request for transfer to Dîlok (Antep), where his family lives, is accepted. The family stated that they were worried because they could not reach Kaygusuz after the phone was cut off. 

 

Stating that they could not get any information from the prison authorities, the family members said that the prison administration would be responsible in the event of a negative situation. 

 

Kaygusuz's mother Zeynep Kaygusuz said that everyone knows what her son has been through and that the Ministry of Justice and the prison administration are responsible for what will happen to him. 

 

'WE WILL DEFEND OUR LANGUAGE UNTIL THE END' 

 

Zeynep Kaygusuz stated that her son Şaban Kaygusuz's phone call was cut off yesterday because he was speaking Kurdish and said: “The phone was cut off because he was speaking Kurdish. We will protect our language until the end. Our language is our will. Şaban did not deny that he is Kurdish despite all the difficulties, hardships and torture. We condemn those who did this. Let the hands reaching for my son be broken. I do not accept these injustices done to my son. All human rights associations, MPs and lawyers should stand up for my son. My son is in a bad condition. I am proud of my son. My son should be released as soon as possible. As a mother, I will be after my son until the end of my life.”

 

'HAPPY TO SAY I AM KURDISH' 

 

Şaban Kaygusuz was physically attacked by guards from the same prison on January 23, 2022. The guards forced the prisoners to say “I am happy to be a Turk” and the attack escalated when the prisoners said “I am happy to be a Kurd”. Kaygusuz was also subjected to strip search and forced to stand up for roll-calls in Kayseri Bünyan Type T Closed Prison No 1 on October 19, 2021 when he was transferred from Diyarbakır Type D Closed Prison to Kayseri Bünyan Type T Closed Prison No 1. 

 

ABOUT ŞABAN KAYGUSUZ 

 

Kaygusuz was born in 1996 in Bilgili village in Dihê (Eruh) district of Sêrt (Siirt). Kaygusuz's family was forced to migrate to Dîlok the same year due to the imposition of village guards. Kaygusuz joined the PKK in 2015. In 2017, he was wounded in a clash in Şirnex (Şırnak). Kaygusuz was transferred to a hospital in Wan, but before his treatment was completed, he was arrested, wounded and put in Siirt Prison. Kaygusuz was transferred to Diyarbakır Type D Prison and on October 19, 2021, he was transferred to Kayseri Bünyan Type T Closed Prison No 1 on the grounds of “security”. Kayseri Education and Research Hospital issued a 90 percent disability report. Kaygusuz is missing his right hand and right foot. Despite this, Kaygusuz was given a “can stay in prison” report on December 8, 2022.

 

MA / Emrullah Acar