The report is based on investigations conducted in the Van F, Van, Ahlat, Beşikdüzü T, Patnos, Kalkandere, Giresun Espiye L and Iğdır S Type Prisons, and it was shared with the public at the Tahir Elçi Conference Hall of the Van (Wan) Bar Association.
Prepared jointly by the Wan Association for Solidarity with Families of Prisoners and Convicts (TUHAY-DER), the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the Wan Bar Association, the Union of Health and Social Service Workers (SES) and the Wan-Colemêrg Medical Chamber, the report documents widespread and persistent violations.
According to the findings, prisoners face severe restrictions on fundamental rights such as healthcare, communication, access to publications, nutrition and social activities.
Presenting the report, Halil Kaya of the Wan Bar Association’s Prison Commission stated that similar violations were observed in all facilities examined.
The report highlights several key findings and stated: “The delays or complete failure to transfer sick prisoners to hospitals”, “The obstruction of medical transfers for ill prisoners who refuse oral cavity searches”, “The limitation of book quotas to between three and ten, and the fact that in many prisons Kurdish-language books and letters have not been delivered for six years”, “The withholding of newspapers such as Yeni Yaşam, Evrensel and Birgün from prisoners”, “Meals being inadequate, unhealthy and prepared in unhygienic conditions”,“Excessively high prices at prison canteens, and the obstruction of support offered by other prisoners to those in financial difficulty”, “The continued closure of social activities and workshops that were restricted during the pandemic, resulting in prisoners being held under severe isolation”, “The denial of video-call rights on the grounds of ‘lack of infrastructure’”, “Frequent and arbitrary cell searches, accompanied by the imposition of military-style discipline”, “The arbitrary postponement of releases, with justifications that include statements such as ‘not breaking with the organization’ or ‘not being suitable for release’.”
The report also noted that prisoners who are not citizens of Turkey were unable to meet even their most basic needs due to financial hardship.
Human rights organizations outlined a series of demands in the report, summarized as follows:
– The closure of Patnos L Type Prison due to its severely inadequate conditions.
– An end to practices that violate the prohibition of torture, the right to health, the right to communication and the freedoms of expression and correspondence.
– Allowing prisoners increased access to telephone communication and permitting calls with everyone on their approved lists.
– The resumption of social activities and the termination of long-term isolation measures.
– The removal of bans on books and newspapers, the abolition of book quotas and the delivery of all legally permitted publications to prisoners.
– Ensuring access to healthcare and preventing the postponement of release for severely ill prisoners.
– The annulment of the Regulation on Observation and Classification Centers and the restriction of authorities whose discretionary powers lead to arbitrary decisions.
The report stated: “For these reasons, we reiterate our call for the annulment of the relevant regulation and for the limitation or complete abolition of the powers granted to prison observation boards.”