Dossier: Why it’s necessary to resist well-type prisons

This international campaign aims to give a voice to the current protest by political prisoners in Turkey. For about two years, political prisoners have been defending themselves with indefinite hunger strikes against the most inhumane prison models that the Turkish state has ever produced to combat the opposition and the uprising.

These new type S, R and Y prisons were built in Turkey from the end of 2020. As far as is known, 22 Y-type prisons and 7 S-type prisons were built in 2021. At the same time, the state has started to transform the so-called ‘high security prisons’ into pit types.

There are a total of 51 of these new prison types in Turkey. Prisoners refer to them as pit-type prisons because they hardly get to see a bit of sky, a breeze or living creatures. They feel as if they have been thrown into a pit.

The physical structure of these prisons does not differ significantly from the F-type prisons, against which there was a sacrificial resistance from 2000-2007 due to the isolation practices imposed there.

Isolation has reached a new dimension there and the psychological torture has been intensified. The difference is that there are cameras in the cell so that the prisoners’ living space is monitored and recorded 24 hours a day. Every conversation, every meal, every activity is monitored. This can vary from prison to prison. In some high-security prisons, there is also a camera in a 3-person cell.

The status of ‘dangerous prisoner’ is imposed on prisoners without any legal basis or legitimisation. For this reason, they are denied many rights and their political status is not recognised.

It is even said that this prison was built for prisoners with heavy life sentences because it contains more individual cells. But in the meantime, as could have been predicted, political prisoners, even prisoners on remand, are gradually being transferred there and subjected to these inhumane, arbitrary practices.

Their voices from isolation are the reason that these places banished from humanity are now coming out into the open. Our contribution is to make these voices heard as widely as possible and to abolish such prison models and practices.

We do our best to provide you with detailed information, facts, reports about the prisons and the campaign.

In order to give you an idea of what kind of prison or lock-up model the type S, R and Y prisons are, we have translated or summarised statements and documentation from committed lawyers, doctors and human rights associations as well as letters from prisoners held in the so-called ‘pit prisons’ from Turkish.

POLITICAL PRISONERS IN VARIOUS PRISONS

IN TURKEY ARE ON INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE

IN RESPONSE TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATING

TYPE S, R and Y ISOLATION PRISONS

Without the fight for justice outside, their lives are in danger, many more prisoners, especially those who do not bow to the government’s repressive policies, are thrown into these so-called ‘pit prisons’ and isolated from the outside world in an inhumane way for many years.

9 POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE ON

INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE