Cihan Gökalp, held in Erzurum Dumlu No. 2 High-Security Prison, is being prosecuted together with his fellow prisoners on charges of “damaging public property,” accused of harming the iron mesh placed on the windows of their ward.
Gökalp, who is on trial at Erzurum 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, described the rights violations they are facing in a letter sent to the Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed (Diyarbakır) Branch and the Amed Medical Chamber.
He stressed that their right to medical treatment has been denied, particularly due to restrictions on hospital transfers and the imposition of handcuffed examinations. Gökalp wrote: “With these inhumane practices, we are being driven to death.”
We are not being treated
In his letter, Gökalp reported that they are facing serious obstacles in accessing their right to healthcare. He stated that the prison infirmary does not provide treatment and that hospital referrals are carried out only after months, sometimes more than a year. However, even during those referrals, he emphasized that they are denied treatment because they refuse to undergo examinations while handcuffed.
Gökalp said: “We are aware that the prison infirmary deliberately avoids sending us to hospitals because we refuse handcuffed examinations due to our identity. The healthcare staff openly prevent referrals on this basis.”
The treatment we have awaited for a year was denied
Gökalp described the obstacles they faced on 24 July at Erzurum Atatürk University Training and Research Hospital: “On 24 July, together with my friends Ramazan Kaya, Sinan Bitik, Ziya Ataman, and Adnan Etli, we went to the ophthalmology department at Erzurum Atatürk University Training and Research Hospital. Because the doctor insisted on examining us while handcuffed, we could not receive treatment. Our right to healthcare was denied due to the imposition of handcuffed examinations, which is contrary to human dignity and constitutes torture. We do not know the doctor’s name, but I would like to state that he was in ‘Polyclinic-3.’ On the same day, I also went to the general surgery department for my hemorrhoid condition, but I could not be examined because the surgeon (Dr. Rıfat) refused to remove my handcuffs. I have been waiting for nearly a year to be seen by an ophthalmologist and a general surgeon. Ramazan Kaya had been waiting for seven to eight months, Sinan Bitik for three months, and Ziya Ataman for four months to visit the ophthalmology department. In the end, after waiting for months for our referrals, we were unable to receive treatment due to the imposition of handcuffed examinations.”
We are being driven into more severe health problems
In his letter, Gökalp also drew attention to the prison conditions, stating that they are kept for 22 hours a day in damp and closed cells, which further aggravates their existing health problems.
Gökalp wrote: “We ask you to convey all the issues we have mentioned to the relevant official authorities. Otherwise, by being held for 22 hours a day in these cell-like, damp rooms, we will suffer from even more severe health problems.”