Death of Convict in Prison - Suspicion of Torture

Convict Mehmet Kılınç was taken to the Yeşilyurt State Hospital after he had suffered a brain trauma in the Kırklar 2^nd F-Type Prison in Izmir in western Turkey. In the night of 9/10 April his family was informed that Kılınç had died in intensive care. Lawyer Nezahat Paşa Bayraktar told bianet that the autopsy of Kılınç's body revealed a crack running from his forehead to the back of his neck besides marks of maltreatment in different parts of his body. Bayraktar said that these findings substantiated suspicion of torture.

The lawyer informed bianet that inspectors appointed by the Ministry of Justice visited the prison on Monday (12 April) for an administrative investigation.

Kılınç had been kept in a single cell before he was taken to hospital. Lawyer Bayraktar said he became suspicious about torture when one gendarmerie officer on duty told him that Kılınç had "fallen down a flight of stairs" and another one said that the convict had "hit a wall".

Petition for a change of prosecutor

Bayraktar applied to the Chief Prosecution's Office in Izmir to appoint a different prosecutor instead of the prison prosecutor in order to "carry out a fruitful investigation".

According to the lawyer, the prison prosecutor would probably not lead an efficient investigation for Kılınç's case since he previously refrained from launching investigations into cases related to human rights violations in particular.

Growing suspicion of torture

Bayraktar said that the autopsy report has not been completed yet. However, the injuries found in different parts of Kılnç's body during the examination suggest doubts about alleged "falling", "hitting something" and "suicide" and substantiate suspicion of torture instead. "Marks of maltreatment were found on the inner and outer side of Kılınç's feet, in the front and on the sides", Bayraktar put forward.

"State is responsible for security in prisons"

The lawyer had requested the seizure of camera footage in the prison and to take the statements of witnesses.

"We also demand a survey of the scene. This is crucial", Baraktar said and emphasized the fact that the state is responsible for the security of people in prison who are deprived of their freedoms. "The state has the responsibility to protect these people, also from harming themselves. This responsibility was clearly violated in the present incident". (TK/VK)