New cell type in Turkey

ozgurluk at xs4all.nl ozgurluk at xs4all.nl
Tue Mar 30 12:29:10 BST 1999


Subject: Individual cells in Turkey

With the decisions of the National Security Council (MGK) of February
28, 1997, the building of special prison cells was begun.
Notwithstanding the unsolvable problems in the prisons like health
care, legal defence, family visits, social-political and cultural
rights, 1 trillion TL (1 million dollars) was spent in three months
for building these cells. Although it was assured that these cells
were not intended for political prisoners, developments show
differently. We will list the major problems, occurring on the agenda
because the state violently takes away the rights of the prisoners in
an attempt to legitimise these special cells.

The building of these cells: After the MGK came up with this decision,
the building of this new cell type was concluded rapidly in 30
prisons. These cells are meant for housing 2 or 4 persons, as well as
for individual prisoners. The introduction of this new cell type was
just concluded in the recently built Kartal prison on Istanbul.
Individual cells were also created in the prisons of Sakaraya, Aydin,
Ceyhan, Kuerkcueler, Malatya, Konya, Ni-de, Mu-la, U-al, Erzurum, Ordu,
Trabzon and Afyon. The building was also ordered for the prison of
Bergama, but the work has not been started yet. Confronted with the
reactions of the people, the minister who ordered the decree stated on
September 29, 1997, that these cells were only meant for "....
homosexuals, bisexuals, for persons whose lives are endangered,
persons who prefer to be alone, prisoners with contagious diseases
like hepatitis, tuberculosis or AIDS, those who are rejected by the
other prison inmates, psychopaths, the mentally ill, the "cell"
bosses, Mafia members". But it is already clear that political, as
well as social, prisoners are locked up in these cells. For example,
the DHKP-C prisoner Adem Ye-ilda- was transferred from the Malatya
prison to Elbistan because his life was said to be in danger. The
majority of the points which are mentioned in the decree cannot be put
into practice anyway. The "cell bosses" participate in the control of
the prisons in Turkey. One can only become a "boss" with the approval
of the prison administration, mostly after paying slush money. And
therefore there are no differences between the department, the "cell
bosses", the Mafia bosses, and the prison guards. On January 3, 1998,
the justice minister Oltan Sungurlu openly stated that the prison
cells were not built for 40 people: "the controls can only be carried
out by daily using the gendarmes. The prison guards can not enter the
cells. At the side of the terrorists, the criminals also begin to
commit these crimes. For a solution, we want the public's support and
money..."

The protection of life:
The life of the prisoners is not guaranteed, especially not those of
the political prisoners. The state controls the prisons, up to
massacres. A trial was started against the prisoners who rebelled
because of a massacre in UEmraniye prison, but those who planned and
executed the massacre remained unpunished. A official protocol, made
after the massacre in Buca prison, states that the soldiers were not
in the possession of iron bars when they entered the cells, they just
removed the barricades, and while the security forces were carrying
out a search of the cells, the political prisoners threw themselves
from the top of their bunk beds, causing the deaths and the wounded.
Again no trial against those who were responsible for this massacre.
The prisoners are finished off like terrorists and enemies. Like the
lives of the political prisoners, the lives of the social prisoners is
endangered in the prisons as well. Social prisoners who resist
torture, or who resist oppression, are murdered as well. 

Health problems:
Except for the Sagmalcilar prison, no other prison has a hospital or
medical facilities. But even this one is not well equipped. The
transport of ill prisoners to a hospital is hindered in several ways,
using pretexts like a lack of money, no soldiers available. The
soldiers also show a provocative attitude. The sick who are being
brought to hospital nevertheless, are often not examined because of
the presence of the soldiers. Physicians often claim not to be in
duty. The prisons of Sakarya, U-ak, Buca, Bergama and Aydin haven't
bought medicines for the past two months, claiming there aren't enough
financial means. The prison administration often doesn't allow
medicines in which are brought by lawyers or relatives. And thus the
prisoners cannot even treat themselves. Temporary illnesses or wounds
pass or heal before a medical treatment takes place. Prisoners with
serious illnesses are just left to die. Because of the practised
arbitrariness, prisoners die. Kalender Kayap -nar, imprisoned in
Canakkale, suffered from cancer because he was not treated, and even
after the disease had become incurable, his discharge from prison was
refused. He was only released three days before his death. Serpil
Kaya, a PKK-prisoner in the Sakarya prison, died last week because
transportation to hospital was refused. Contagious diseases spread
rapidly because of lacking protection. Four women in Sakarya suffer
from tuberculosis. The number of tuberculosis sufferers in Buca prison
is estimated at 78. Prisoners who suffered from incurable diseases
because of their participation in the 1996 Death Fast are not treated
at all, their cell mates have to help them. The prisoners in Cankiri,
Sakarya and Buca were treated with infusions only once after the Death
Fast was ended, and then sent back with the words "your situation has
improved".

Visiting problems: Most relatives aren't allowed in. Although it isn't
legally obliged to produce a proof a kinship, this is often used as a
pretext to deny visits. The relatives are verbally abused during all
their visits. They are seen as potential criminals. For example, their
fingerprints are checked in UEmraniye prison. In the Bartin prison, the
visitors are asked if they are wanted by the police. The body searches
the visitors are subjected to, are humiliating. Often the relatives
are arrested after their visits and threatened not to come again.

The legal defence: There are several problems which occur with the
lawyers' visits. Although a lawyer has a right to speak with his
client at all times, and without showing a power of attorney, this is
often disregarded. Lawyers of political prisoners are subjected to a
special treatment and regarded as enemies. Because of their visit,
they are seen as potential criminals and searched. They are also often
subjected to attacks by the gendarmes, security officers and
policemen. Soldiers attempt to censure the defence pleas of prisoners
in court.

Visits between prisoners: The department tries to prevent visits
between prisoners with several pretexts. In case social prisoners
speak with political prisoners, they are immediately put in solitary
confinement are transferred to another prison. The right of the social
prisoners to receive open visits is not granted to the political
prisoners. 

Social problems: It is tried to isolate the prisoners from events in
the world outside. In many prisons, not even daily papers are allowed.
Socialist papers aren't allowed at all. Food supplies are usually
rotten and unhealthy in general. The daily meals (breakfast, lunch and
dinner) are estimated at 165.000 TL per prisoner by the Justice
Department. Ridiculous, seen the fact that a loaf of bread costs
40.000 TL, and soup 250.000. The need for food can only be met by
gifts from the families. However, reasoning that this would strengthen
the solidarity between the political prisoners, the Justice Department
issued a decree that outlaws the accepting of food, supplied by the
families. 

The problems, listed above, reach different dimensions in all the
prisons in Turkey. We say different dimensions, because the status
inside the prisons is connected to the measure in which the tradition
of struggle and resistance by the prisoners has forced the prison
administration back and forced them to negotiate about their rights.
The status which is created inside the prisons is never laid down on
paper. 

The creation of this new cell type is now on the prisons' agenda. It
is clear that the construction of these cells has nothing to do with
"humanity", as the Justice Department claimed. Because prisoners are
dying because of lacking medical treatment, their provisions are
insufficient and irregular, and they are not transported to court
because money for gas is supposedly lacking. The prisoners in Sakarya
weren't brought to the court sessions during the last two months
because the budget for gas was said to be finished. It was attempted
to extort taxes from the families, supposedly for fare costs. On the
other hand, 1 trillion TL is spent for the construction of cells,
proof that this has nothing to do with "humanitarian conduct". This
money could be spend for solving the problems inside the prisons,
health problems, problems with medical treatment, supplies and
transportation to court. In addition, the department's views about the
new cell type equal, seen from the perspective of the social
prisoners, a coffin. The common prisoners, also confronted with
exploitation, oppression and the robbing of their personality, began
to resist. In 1997, their was resistance in several prisons, like the
ones in U-cak and Metris, where five people were murdered. The
department, fearing such resistance, aims at putting away the common
prisoners in coffins as well. The Justice Department is awaiting a
suitable time to put the political and the common prisoners in these
cells. It is also attempted to make preparations for new massacres in
the prisons. 

-- 
Press Agency Ozgurluk
For justice, democracy and human rights in Turkey and Kurdistan!
Website: http://www.ozgurluk.org                          
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