Prisons in Turkey have effectively turned into commercial enterprises where almost every need must be paid for, and it has now emerged that the costs of prisoner transfers are also being pushed onto families. Telman Özen Boran submitted a petition to the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses under the Ministry of Justice requesting the transfer of his brother Hüseyin Özen, who has been on a hunger strike for 211 days demanding to be transferred from the Antalya Pit-type Prison. In response, he was told that the transfer would only take place if the family covered the expenses. Telman Özen Boran then went to Ankara with his elderly mother and began a vigil in front of the Ministry of Justice to protest this arbitrary practice. He spoke to ANF about the situation.
His health is worsening, he has dropped to 44 kilos
Telman Özen Boran said that his brother Hüseyin Özen, who has been imprisoned for many years, has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 211 days demanding a transfer due to the inhumane isolation conditions in the Antalya High Security Pit-type Prison, where he was forcibly transferred three years ago.
Telman Özen Boran noted that his mother and another brother were the last to visit Hüseyin Özen and said that his health condition is steadily deteriorating.
He said that his brother’s weight has dropped from 75 kilograms to 44 kilograms, that he is experiencing balance problems, that wounds have appeared on his body and that he suffers from burning and numbness in his feet. Telman Özen Boran added that because his brother can no longer meet his basic needs on his own, he is being held with another prisoner in a three person cell designed for sick prisoners. He said, “There is no space to move in this three person cell where the bed, cupboard, kitchen and toilet are all placed in a very narrow area. If one prisoner moves, the other prisoner has to sit down. Even the small windows are covered with layers of iron bars. In these cells it is not possible to see sunlight, and even getting fresh air is impossible. Yet they still claim that these cells are designed for sick prisoners.”
They must take him back the way they brought him
Telman Özen Boran said he submitted a petition to the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses under the Ministry of Justice requesting the transfer of his brother. He noted that in the response he received a few days ago it was stated that the transfer costs must be covered by the family. Telman Özen Boran said: “In the document that reached me from the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses of the Ministry of Justice on 03.03.2026, it was stated that according to Article 54 of Law No. 5275 on the Execution of Criminal and Security Measures and the relevant paragraphs of Article 15 of Circular No. 167 dated 05/06/2015, three different prison options must be submitted for the transfer and the transfer fee must be paid in advance. When I told my brother about this during our weekly phone call, he said, ‘I did not come here of my own will. One day they came to my cell and said, Hüseyin, get ready, and they dragged me here and exiled me to a pit type prison. They must take me back the way they brought me. I will not pay any fee for this.’ He told me very clearly that he does not want us to accept this practice under any circumstances.”
My brother’s transfer to humane conditions is a right, not a favor
Telman Özen Boran said they had also consulted lawyers about the issue and emphasized that demanding payment for the transfer is an arbitrary practice with no legal basis. He added that he traveled from Istanbul to Ankara with his mother and began a vigil in front of the Ministry of Justice to protest the decision. Telman Özen Boran said: “What will those who do not have money or financial means do? Will they be buried alive in pit type prisons? My brother Hüseyin Özen has been in prison for nearly 30 years. Under normal conditions he should have been released, but his sentence was arbitrarily extended, so he was not freed and is now being subjected to even harsher conditions. We want my brother to be transferred to a prison where he can live under humane conditions. This is not a favor, it is a right.”
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