Hunger strikers in Mardin prison forced to attend religious course

Political prisoners, who have been on hunger strike in Mardin E Type Closed Prison since 21 February, continue to be the target of arbitrary and systematic rights violations.

The hunger strike, which has been run so far for five days by different groups of prisoners, will now be continued by each group for 10 days.

On the 16th day of the protest, Osman Akbaş, Halil Bergin and Mehmet Çiftçi, who is without an arm and a foot, took over the hunger strike.

On 25 February, a prisoner named Ilhami Işçi was deported to Islahiye Type E Closed Prison without any justification, and on 7 March, a prisoner named Serhat Doğan was deported to Erzurum High Security Closed Prison, again without any justification.

On Monday evening, 7 March, the prison administration made some concessions to the prisoners on hunger strike.

According to the information given by the lawyers, the prison administration accepted the transfer of ill prisoners to the hospital and the abandonment of the strip-searching practice.

Prisoner Mehmet Şirin Acar called on people to support the hunger strikers and their demands in a letter he sent to the Mardin Bar Association Human Rights Commission.

The letter said: “Despite having served their sentences, prisoners are not freed and their release is postponed for false reasons. Since we do not attend events such as religious courses, the administration put negative notes on our behaviour, although it is against the understanding of the secular state to do that. We are in fact forced to attend religious courses. With this approach, we are forced to go to a psychologist and we are treated as criminals. Many of our friends have chronic diseases. Since we do not accept an inhuman practice such as a mouth search, our hospital referrals are blocked. Our dental treatments are blocked. We have the right to a 1.5 hour visit. This time is limited to the lowest limit of 40 minutes. We cannot meet with our lawyers. We are not able to take advantage of the common area activity. Collective investigations are opened and collective punishments are given for futile reasons. Yeni Yaşam Newspaper and other magazines are not delivered. We have to sleep on the floor for 4-5 people in each cell. Our social activity rights are restricted.”

Acar listed the prisoners’ demands as follows: “Ending hospital referrals and mouth searches, performing dental treatments, returning social activity rights and visiting hours, providing a healthy environment for meeting with lawyers, providing clean underwear, slippers, towels and stationery from outside. Provision of medical supplies, ending the oral search, abandoning the collective investigation and punishments, delivering newspapers and magazines, solving the barber problem, allowing opposition TV channels and opening a new ward for those who have to sleep on the floor.”