Turkey: Parliamentary Question for Prisoner on Hungerstrike

News article translated from Turkish:

(original article)

https://www.alevihaberagi.com/54896-dem-parti-milletvekillerinden-aclik-grevindeki-mahpus-icin-soru-onergesi-serkan-onur-yilmazin-yasami-ciddi-tehlikede.html

DEM Party MPs’ Parliamentary Question for Prisoner on Hunger Strike: “Serkan Onur Yılmaz’s Life is in Serious Danger”

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DEM Party Şırnak MP Nevroz Uysal Aslan and Dersim MP Ayten Kordu submitted a parliamentary question to the Human Rights Investigation Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) regarding the situation of prisoner Serkan Onur Yılmaz, who has been on indefinite hunger strike for 351 days in Bolu F Type Closed Prison. The deputies stated that Yılmaz’s health condition has reached a critical stage and called for “The right to life is under the guarantee of the state, the necessary steps must be taken urgently.”

“Serkan Onur Yılmaz has been on indefinite hunger strike for 351 days”

In the motion, it was stated that Serkan Onur Yılmaz, who is held in Bolu F Type Prison, has been on hunger strike for 351 days to demand that his friends be transferred to prisons other than S, Y and High Security prisons, which are known as “well type” in the public.

The deputies said, “Serkan Onur Yılmaz’s health condition has reached an extremely critical stage. Numbness in the hands and feet due to nerve damage has increased, and shortness of breath has worsened. Yılmaz cannot walk, he can go to lawyer visits in a wheelchair. He often feels stabbing pain in his heart, the wounds on his hands and feet do not heal and this causes insomnia.”

“The Right to Life is Under the State’s Obligation to Protect”

In the parliamentary question, referring to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment was underlined.

The deputies said, “The life and health of every prisoner held in prisons is under the obligation of the state to protect. For this reason, Serkan Onur Yılmaz’s right to life should be protected and his health status should be examined immediately by independent health committees.”

“Isolation Practices Should Be Reviewed”

The motion also emphasized that the isolation conditions in high-security prisons, especially Bolu F Type Prison, should be urgently reviewed. DEM Party deputies demanded that the Human Rights Investigation Commission’s Sub-Commission on the Rights of Convicts and Detainees conduct an on-site inspection and that the necessary measures be taken immediately.

At the end of the motion, the deputies said, “We respectfully request that the demands of Yılmaz and other prisoners be evaluated within a humane and legal framework, that we be informed about the provision of living conditions worthy of human dignity in prisons and the results of the investigations to be carried out.”

Motion Holders

The parliamentary question was submitted to the Presidency of the Human Rights Investigation Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey by DEM Party Şırnak Deputy Nevroz Uysal Aslan and DEM Party Dersim Deputy Ayten Kordu.