URGENT APPEAL BY WIFE OF TURKISH POLITICAL PRISONER TO UN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN PRISONS

Subject: Urgent Appeal Regarding Human Rights Violations Resulting from the Model of Enhanced Solitary Confinement in Turkish Y-Type and High-Security Prisons

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Şükriye Akar, a German citizen of Turkish origin. I am writing to you with urgency and deep concern regarding ongoing and systemic human rights violations occurring within Turkish prisons—specifically those operating under the so-called “enhanced solitary confinement model” implemented in Y-type, S-type, and other high-security facilities.

This model of incarceration, increasingly applied over the past four years, is typified by extreme and prolonged isolation, often with minimal human contact, and is implemented in prisons structurally and operationally designed to facilitate such conditions. Tragically, my husband, Fikret Akar, has been subjected to these conditions since February 1, 2025, in Karatepe High-Security Prison, where he remains under harsh isolation.

Due to the inhumane conditions and lack of response to his appeals, my husband has been on a hunger strike since March 30, 2025—now nearing 130 days. His physical condition is extremely fragile, and his life is at risk.

A. Description of Prison Architecture and Isolation Practices

The facilities in question—particularly S-type, Y-type, and other high-security prisons—are often referred to by inmates as “pit-type prisons” due to their oppressive architecture. These prisons consist of isolated, multistory cell blocks with severely restricted access to open air, sunlight, or human interaction.

Key aspects include:

Architectural Isolation: Single and triple cells are separated across modules (A1 to A5), and movement between modules is strictly prohibited. Most prisoners are confined to their cells for 22–23 hours per day.

Control Measures: Cell doors and communication systems are electronically controlled via a Local Control Panel (LKP). Inmates’ only contact with staff or the outside world is through an intercom.

Minimal Yard Time: Yard access is limited to 1–2 hours daily, and the layout ensures that prisoners rarely encounter one another.

Restricted Activities: Only inmates deemed “well-behaved” are granted limited access to workshops, sports, or visits.

Constant Surveillance: Cells are under near-constant visual monitoring, exacerbating psychological distress.

Physical Environment: The lack of sunlight, poor ventilation, and damp conditions pose significant health risks.

These design elements serve not only to isolate but to dehumanize.

B. The Isolation Model and Its Human Rights Implications

This model of detention violates multiple core principles of international human rights law:

Prolonged Isolation: Prisoners are confined to spaces where social and physical interaction is virtually eliminated, often for indefinite periods.

Restricted Contact with Family and Legal Representation: Communications are tightly controlled, and visits are limited and surveilled.

Deprivation of Meaningful Activity: Educational, cultural, and recreational activities are practically inaccessible.

Physical and Psychological Harm: These conditions result in severe physical deterioration and mental health crises, including depression, hallucinations, and suicidal ideation.

Torture and Cruel Treatment: The practice meets the UN definition of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Violation of the Nelson Mandela Rules: These rules prohibit prolonged solitary confinement and demand humane treatment.

C. International Legal Framework

The following international instruments are directly contravened by these practices:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 7

Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules)

D. Current Status of Fikret Akar

My husband’s situation is dire. He has undertaken a prolonged hunger strike as a form of peaceful protest. Despite the severity of his condition, the prison administration continues to harass and neglect him:

Vitamin B1, critical for preventing neurological damage, was not administered until the 108^th day of his hunger strike.

Basic dietary needs (such as sugar for energy) were denied until court intervention forced minimal compliance.

He was moved to an unsanitary cell under the pretense of pipe repairs and left unable to clean the space due to physical weakness.

These actions demonstrate deliberate indifference and targeted maltreatment, constituting torture under international law.

His sole request—to be transferred to a non-pit-type prison—has been ignored. This request is reasonable, life-preserving, and logistically feasible for the Ministry of Justice.

D. Appeals and Demands

Given the gravity of the situation, I respectfully request that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:

Initiate an immediate investigation into the use of enhanced solitary confinement in S-type, Y-type, and high-security prisons in Turkey;

Urge the Republic of Turkey to cease these violations and comply with international standards for the treatment of detainees;

Publish an international report addressing this matter and issue a formal condemnation of the practice;

Take urgent action to help secure the immediate transfer of my husband to a facility that meets basic human rights standards.

I trust that your office will treat this matter with the urgency and attention it so desperately requires. I remain at your disposal for any further documentation or testimony that may assist your investigation.

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