Turkey, under the increasingly authoritarian rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)–Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) government, continues to witness uninterrupted rights violations inside prisons. The “Right to Hope” is denied to political prisoners serving aggravated life sentences, stealing their lifetimes, and their right to treatment is also arbitrarily obstructed. It has emerged that one of these political prisoners, Ali Gülmez, has been unable to undergo necessary hernia surgery at Kırıklar No.1 F Type High Security Prison in Izmir due to the imposition of the cage-type prisoner transport and the practice of handcuffed medical examinations. Sevim Kalman spoke to ANF and said, “The right to treatment of seriously ill prisoners is being blocked through this inhumane cage-type prisoner transport. This is unacceptable.”
Gülmez has been held in isolation for 24 years
Sevim Kalman drew attention to the fact that Ali Gülmez, a prisoner in the TKP/ML case and sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, has been in prison for 25 years and has been held in a single-person isolation cell for 24 of those years. Kalman said that this long period of imprisonment has damaged Gülmez’s health, and explained that he developed kidney problems, and later experienced heart, diabetes and prostate issues, and most recently an inguinal hernia. She added that two stents were inserted into his heart a few months ago, yet he was not even allowed to have a companion stay with him because he is serving an aggravated life sentence.
He cannot undergo surgery because of the cage-type prisoner transport
Kalman said that although Gülmez urgently needs a hernia operation, his right to treatment is being obstructed due to arbitrary practices by the prison administration. Kalman said: “A date needs to be obtained from Izmir City Hospital for Ali Gülmez’s hernia surgery, but because the cage-type prisoner transport is imposed for hospital transfers, Ali Gülmez cannot have the operation. These cage-type transports are not like other transport vehicles. Prisoners are confined alone in a tiny airless cage-like area and taken to the hospital like that. Ali’s brother last visited him on 28 October, and Ali told his brother that he cannot have surgery because of this cage-type prisoner transport.”
The prison administration must immediately end this inhumane practice
In addition to being the guardian of Ali Gülmez, Sevim Kalman is also a human rights defender, and she emphasized that the cage-type prisoner transport imposed on seriously ill prisoners is inhumane. Kalman pointed out that Ali Gülmez has been held in a single-person isolation cell for years, and that the authorities are now trying to impose isolation conditions even during hospital transfers and said that this is unacceptable.
Kalman also noted that at a time when the Right to Hope for prisoners serving aggravated life sentences is being discussed, the conditions of isolation in prisons are being further intensified. Kalman said: “The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that keeping a person in prison for life is torture and that the Right to Hope must be implemented. However, instead of making any arrangements regarding this torture, Turkey, which is a party to ECtHR rulings, is attempting to extend isolation even to prisoner transport vehicles. Because of this arbitrary practice, the right to treatment of seriously ill prisoners is being obstructed, and their health is reaching an irreversible point. While normal transport vehicles exist, transferring people to hospital in these cage-type prisoner transports is an inhumane practice. The administration of Izmir Kırıklar No.1 F Type Prison must immediately end this practice and ensure seriously ill prisoners’ access to healthcare.”