Daylight never reaches them and fresh air is denied: indefinite hunger strikes by political prisoners continue in pit-type prisons where conditions of absolute isolation are imposed. One of these prisoners, Hüseyin Özen, has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 168 days, demanding transfer from the Antalya High-Security Pit-Type Prison to a different type of prison. Fadime Özen, the sister of Hüseyin Özen, spoke to ANF, saying that her brother’s demand is both humane and entirely reasonable, and stressing the urgency of responding to his request.
Already harsh conditions became unbearable after transfer to a pit-type prison
Fadime Özen said that the already harsh conditions faced by her 56-year-old brother Hüseyin Özen, who has been imprisoned for 28 years, became unbearable after he was forcibly transferred three years ago from Bolu Type F Prison to the Antalya High-Security Pit-Type Prison. She stated that the family was not informed about this transfer in advance. Özen said, “They came to his cell late in the evening and said, ‘Get ready, you are being transferred,’ and then sent my brother and his friends to the pit-type prison. As soon as they arrived there, they were placed in single-person cells, and they have been held under these conditions of isolation for the past three years.”
No sun, no space, no chance to use the toilet during the one-hour yard time
Fadime Özen said her brother repeatedly stressed how severe the conditions are in which they are held. Özen said: “He has been in prison for many years. He told us that they are kept in isolation in very small and narrow spaces where they never see the sun. They are allowed out to the yard for only one hour, and during that hour the door is automatically locked behind them. Even to meet their toilet needs, that door is not opened. In other words, whether it is snowing or raining, or even if they suddenly fall ill, they have no chance to return indoors from the yard. They are forcibly kept locked there for one full hour, and this is what is called yard time. Transfers to hospitals are arbitrarily blocked. For example, my brother’s request to be taken to the hospital for dental treatment was completely ignored. In the end, he began an open-ended hunger strike against these inhuman conditions imposed on him.”
The last time I saw my brother, he had dropped from 75 kilos to 50
Özen said she last saw her brother during an open visit last month and noticed that he was struggling to walk. Özen also said: “He does not talk much about his ailments because he does not want us to be upset. When I saw him, he had lost a great deal of weight and was having difficulty walking. He had dropped from 75 kilos to 50. When we spoke, he told me that joint pain had begun. One month has passed since then, and now we do not know what condition he is in, because we as a family live in Istanbul and we do not have the means to visit every week. Unfortunately, our financial situation does not allow it. But his health condition is becoming increasingly serious.”
My 80-year-old mother developed Alzheimer’s due to grief
Özen said that as if years of imprisonment combined with repeated visitation and communication bans were not enough, her brother’s sentence was also extended just two years before his scheduled release. She said that people are effectively being forced to live in a prison within a prison, adding that she cannot accept her brother wasting away day by day over a transfer request that could easily be met. She noted that this ordeal is being endured not only by her brother but by the entire family. Özen said: “Our 80-year-old mother developed Alzheimer’s because of the constant worry about my brother. She forgets everything. Because she is devastated by her son’s situation, her own health is deteriorating as well. Her hands swell; she cannot move. In that sense, our situation is no different from Hüseyin’s. While he has put his body on a hunger strike, how could it be possible for us not to suffer? He grows weaker every day, and we do not know whether he will be permanently harmed or whether he will die. No one has the right to inflict this pain. My brother’s and his friends’ demand are reasonable ones. They want to be transferred to a prison close to their families, somewhere around Istanbul. I want to address the Justice Minister here: my brother’s and his friends’ demands are not difficult demands; they are humane demands. Sending someone to prison does not mean condemning them to death. They are human beings and they want to live as human beings. Let my brother’s and his friends’ demands be accepted, let their transfers take place, and let pit-type prisons be closed.”