Protest against pit-type prisons in Kurdish city Wan

News article translated from Turkish

(the original article) https://mezopotamyaajansi43.com/tum-haberler/content/view/290639

Protest to close the ‘pit-type’ prison in Wan

WAN- Drawing attention to the violations in the protest held in Wan demanding the closure of “pit-type” prisons, it was demanded to end the policies implemented to intimidate the opposing segments of the society.

Under the leadership of the Labor and Democracy Platform in Wan, a statement was made on Art Street with the slogan “Pit Type prisons should be closed”. “Isolation is a crime against humanity. Close the pit-type prisons” was carried by many citizens as well as the platform components.

Human Rights Association (IHD) Wan Branch Co-Chair Mehmet Salih Coşkun read the press release and stated that “pit-type” prisons where ill-treatment, rights violations and torture take place should be closed.

Stating that prisons in Turkey have been turned into tools of torture and ill-treatment, Coşkun said, “Physical conditions, including location selection and architecture, constitute the objective ground for many rights violations. Especially since 2005, the detention practices, which have been increasing significantly every year, have led to the deepening of violations with designs that will allow the implementation of different dimensions of isolation. Among the new prisons, especially since 2021, a total of 51 new types of prisons, including 22 Y-type prisons, 22 high-security prisons and 7 S-type prisons, have been opened for use under the names of ‘S Type Penitentiary Institution’, ‘Y Type Penitentiary Institution’ and ‘High Security Penitentiary Institution’, as far as it is known, according to the latest data.“

SOLIDARITY CONFINEMENT

Stating that most of the prisoners are kept in single cells and a small number of them are kept in triple rooms, which is the most distinctive feature of the new prisons, Coşkun said, “Prisoners spend at least 22.5 hours a day in solitary cells and practices that almost reach the level of ‘being locked in a solitary cell’ have become routine. In the report prepared by the IHD Central Prisons Commission on Y and S type prisons, the violations of rights are summarized as ‘standing count, isolation, strip search, ill-treatment and isolation’.”

DATA IN THE REPORT

Coşkun listed the data in the report as follows: “Regardless of what kind of crime or punishment they receive, prisoners are put in single rooms as a result of the decisions of the Administrative and Observation Boards. These are the data compiled from the applications made that the practices in S-type prisons cause many damages, especially on human psychology, and suspicious deaths, suicide cases, torture and ill-treatment practices are common. It is stated that with this type of prison, prisoners’ relations with both the outside and other prisoners are restricted as much as possible, their ties are cut off, and it is a policy that causes prisoners’ prison lives to pass in absolute isolation.”

ISOLATION POLICY

Stating that the new prisons were built to provide isolation and social isolation, Coşkun emphasized that ventilation hours are limited, the windows facing the ventilation are covered with wire fences and even the ventilation is built in a way that prevents seeing the sky.

HUNGER STRIKES

Reminding that 15 prisoners held in different places are on open strike and death fast against “pit-type” prisons, Coşkun pointed to the situation of the prisoners in the protest and stated that the Ministry of Justice has not taken steps towards a solution despite the time that has passed.

CALL TO THE PUBLIC

Calling on the competent institutions of the state, especially the Ministry of Justice, Coşkun said, “We demand an immediate end to the policies implemented on prisons aimed at intimidating the opposing segments of the society, the closure of the so-called pit-type prisons and the provision of conditions worthy of human dignity, which is the demand of prisoners, as soon as possible.”