Rights violations continue in prisons across Kurdistan and Turkey. Despite repeated calls, no lasting solutions have been produced to address these violations, which affect both two-year-old children and elderly people in their seventies.
According to official data, 759 children are living in prisons together with their mothers. Pelda Elci, held in Sirnak (Şirnex) Type T Prison with her two children, is one of them.
During the 2015-2016 curfews, a case was opened against Elci based on witness statements, and she was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. Although her case is still before the appellate court, it was decided that she would remain imprisoned pending trial.
Elci, who has been held since May with her two- and three-year-old children, stressed that the difficulties she faces have become systematic and issued a call for solidarity.
Although she was not in Cizre (Cizîr) during the curfews, a case was opened against Pelda Elci on the charge of “disrupting the unity and integrity of the state” under Article 302, based on statements extracted under torture from detainees. At the time when the trial began, Elci was still a minor. She learned of the case against her before even turning 18 and was detained years after it had been filed.
After being taken into custody, she was held in prison for nine months before being released under house arrest. She then remained under house arrest for about two years and eight months. In the case that has dragged on for ten years, a verdict was reached in recent months. Elci was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, and a detention order was issued against her.
After the verdict, with no one else to care for her children, Pelda Elci entered prison together with them and is demanding the annulment of the trial process, which she says was conducted unlawfully.
Rihan Gok, one of the lawyers handling her case, stated that the trial was carried out from start to finish through unlawful and illegitimate methods. Gok noted that the witness statements used against Elci were taken during the period of clashes and military operations, stressing that the witnesses had been tortured and had rejected their statements, a fact they have repeated at every stage of the trial.
Rihan Gok stated that all detentions and interrogations carried out during that period were conducted unlawfully and under highly suspicious circumstances. She emphasized that during this time, when the law was effectively suspended, no legal standards were observed. She noted that in the records where Pelda was allegedly identified, the procedures were conducted in violation of the provisions of the Police Duties and Authorities Law (PVSK).
Gok stressed that these records should not be taken as the basis for a ruling, adding that the individuals who gave statements later explained that they had testified under torture and had declared that they did not, in fact, know Pelda.
Elci was not in Cizre at the time of the alleged crimes
Rihan Gok stated that during the periods of the alleged criminal acts, Pelda was still a minor and was not in Cizre, a fact they had proven with documents and records.
Gok explained that Pelda was in another city shopping at the time and added: “Even though we proved with evidence that she was preparing for marriage and had not been living in Cizre for a long time, the court did not consider these points significant. Pelda’s file was inflated with witness statements that have no basis in reality. Despite the absence of any concrete evidence that could justify a conviction, a sentence was handed down against her.”
Elci spent two years under house arrest
Pelda Elci was held in pre-trial detention for nine months prior to the verdict. She was later released and placed under house arrest. During the two years and eight months she remained under house arrest, it was noted that she committed no violations. However, on May 12, a detention order was issued along with the ruling.
Pelda, 28 years old and married for eight years, is the mother of three children aged five, three, and two. After her arrest, with no one able to care for her children, she was forced to take two of them with her to prison. She is currently being held with her two children in Sirnak Prison.
Children’s development is being negatively affected
Lawyer Rihan Gok said that due to the unlawful trial that has continued for ten years, both Pelda and her children are being subjected to an illegitimate form of punishment. She added that Pelda has called on everyone for solidarity. Gok recalled that the government has declared 2025 the “Year of the Family,” and said: “A family is experiencing illegality in prison and is being held under inhumane conditions. Because of these politically motivated decisions, children are forced to live in prison conditions that are not suitable for them. Their personal development and mental health are being negatively affected. The prison leaves deep scars on them. Pelda is asking to be released with her children and to be placed once again under house arrest.”
Six-month ban imposed on her husband
Rihan Gok also said that Pelda’s husband, who came to visit her, was subjected to unlawful treatment. Gok also said: “During a closed visit, when the phone line did not work, he had to raise his voice so that Pelda could hear him. The guards then intervened and mistreated him. After an argument broke out, a report was filed against him, and he was given a six-month visitation ban. This family, already in a difficult situation, has been left even more devastated by this decision. These unlawful practices must come to an end immediately.”
All concerned circles must respond to this call
Rihan Gok stated that as lawyers they have filed the necessary objections regarding the process and that the case is currently at the appeal stage. Gok said, “We are carrying out the necessary meetings and applications for Pelda and her children to return home. We reiterate our call for sensitivity to all institutions working on a rights-based basis.”