Allegations of Torture at Tekirdağ Maximum Security Prison

Mehmet Ergezen, who has been released after serving a six-year prison sentence at the Tekirdağ prison claimed that the prisoners and convicts are subjected to torture and maltreatment.

According to a report by the Günlük newspaper, Ergezen stated that he was sent to the Tekirdağ prison with his father Ziya Ergezen. He said that although his father is diabetic, his dietary needs were not met. He stated that his father was released after his situation worsened, and he died 20 days later.

Ergezen further stated that a prisoner named Yılmaz Akyıldız is having liver problems because his is not being treated as necessary and another prisoner named Gülnaz Akkuş has lost her eye sight because her eye problem was not treated.

Ergezen said the prison administration gives cell punishments and lead to a loss of remission for certain prisoners and added that prisoners undergo physical torture in rooms laden with sponge.

İHD officials had filed a criminal complaint on 20 December stating that prisoner Şehmuz Avcı's arm was broken in an attack by the prison's second director Ali Haydar Ak and the wardens.

In İHD's 2009 prison rights violations report, it was stated that a prisoner had died in the Tekirdağ prison and that rat poison was found in the bread given to prisoners.

In a report dated 2008 İHD had determined the following problems about the same prison:

* Health problems and treatment requests are not timely addressed. This leads to the serious worsening of physical and psychological problems. There is a significant increase in suicides.

* There is a ban on speaking Kurdish.

* Basic needs are only partly addressed. (EÜ/EA)