Woman calls for the release of sick brother imprisoned for 25 years

Despite repeated calls, sick prisoners whose physical conditions have deteriorated due to poor conditions in prisons and violations of rights are not released. In the last 5 years, 89 sick prisoners have lost their lives in prison due to the reports prepared by the Forensic Medicine Board, which rejected their release. Sıddık Kıvanç, 46, who has been imprisoned since 6 July 1997 to serve a life sentence, is one of the sick prisoners in Turkey’s prisons.

FAMILY CONCERNED

Kıvanç was transferred to prisons in Batman, Mardin, Samsun, Tekirdağ, Manisa and Siirt during his detention and has been held in Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison for the last 3 years. During his detention, Kıvanç was subjected to serious violations of rights and suffered two heart attacks. He had 2 operations related to his heart condition. His family is worried about Kıvanç’s life due to a possible heart attack.

HE BECAME SICK IN PRISON

Kıvanç’s older sister, Sultan Azboy, revealed that her brother was frequently subjected to rights violations in prison. Azboy said that her brother resisted the crackdown in prison and that his heart disease emerged in prison. The woman remarked that prison is not a place to stay healthy and called for her brother’s freedom. She pointed out that problems in prisons have increased after the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. “There had been a long visitation ban. They lifted this ban but they shortened the time of visiting to 20 minutes. My brother and his friends did not accept it. They have complaints about the duration of visits. They are not allowed to enjoy social activities, sports and similar activities. There is a shortage of books and newspapers. The food is bad there, as in many other prisons. They also have a water problem,” she said.

RESISTANCE OF PRISONERS

Azboy reacted to the silence concerning the violations of rights in prisons. “While there is so much oppression, torture and massacres in prisons, the public stays mum about it. If there was no public indifference, deaths and violations would not occur. Thousands of prisoners are resisting maltreatment under difficult conditions in prisons. However, those who are outside prisons remain silent. There is no public reaction except the justice vigils held by families in Diyarbakır and Van provinces. Prisons should be our priority.”