Wan (Van) Bar Association, Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), Association for Assistance and Solidarity with the Families of Prisoners and Convicts (TUHAY-DER), Health and Social Service Labourers' Union (SES) and Wan-Colemêrg (Hakkari) Medical Chamber announced the report on some prisons in Serhat and Black Sea regions. The report, which was made public at a press conference held at Wan Bar Association Tahir Elçi Conference Hall, covered Van F-Type, Van High Security, Van T-Type, Ahlat T-Type, Patnos L-Type, Iğdır S-Type, Kalkandere L-Type, Giresun Espiye L-Type and Beşikdüzü T-Type Closed Prisons.

 

Lawyer Mehtap Işık announced the report and said that prisoners in the prisons they visited were prevented from the right to health by either delaying or not being referred to hospital. Mehtap Işık emphasised that prisoners are forced to undergo mouth searches and handcuffed examinations even if they are referred. Mehtap Işık stated that prisoners who objected to these unlawful practices were taken back to their prisons without being treated. 

 

Mehtap Işık said: "In many prisons, Kurdish books are not given to prisoners and in some prisons, Kurdish books and letters have not been given to prisoners for 6 years, and the reason given was that they could not be translated. Again, in all of the prisons mentioned in our report, it was stated that opposition newspapers such as Yeni Yaşam, Evrensel and Cumhuriyet, which are legally published daily, are not given, and that opposition TV channels broadcasting on a national basis are banned." 

 

Mehtap Işık stated that the food given to prisoners is poor or poor, and that the canteens sell at exorbitant prices.

 

Stressing that activities such as courses, workshops and sports, which were banned during the pandemic period, are still banned, Mehtap Işık noted that prisoners are isolated.  Stating that these practices show that prisoners are under severe isolation, Mehtap Işık pointed out that the opportunity to socialise has been completely taken away from them. 

 

Mehtap Işık added: "The prisoners stated that they were not allowed to use their video phone rights, that their requests were rejected on the grounds of 'lack of appropriate infrastructure', but judicial prisoners were given this right, that routine room searches, which are carried out several times a month, have gone beyond their purpose and that the rooms are scattered, all belongings are scattered everywhere, and that military order is imposed during ward searches."

 

Mehtap Işık stated that the release of prisoners were postponed by the Prison Monitoring Boards and stressed: "With the Regulation on the Evaluation of Convicts by Observation and Classification Centres, which is against the law, prison administrations are given unlimited authority against prisoners and can make arbitrary decisions. It is seen that prison administrations have started to abuse the powers given to them by the new regulation. For this reason, we reiterate our call for the cancellation of the relevant regulation and the restriction of the powers of prison observation boards or the complete abolition of this practice."