‘State and Prison Administrations Responsible for Protecting Prisoners from Covid-19’

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Nine rights organizations, unions and professional chambers have released a list of 14 precautions to be taken against coronavirus in prisons.

According to the most recent announcement made by Minister of Health late in the evening yesterday (March 16), 47 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, the new coronavirus, in Turkey so far.

The following 14 precautions have been listed by the organizations so that prisoners and wardens can be protected against the virus:

'Take precautions for the ones at risk'

• All the reliable sources point to the importance of personal hygiene to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). To protect the health of the prisoners, the necessary cleaning materials and personal hygiene products should be urgently provided free of charge to prisoners in order to ensure that every individual in prisons have access to cleaning products even the ones who cannot afford to purchase them. It is the main responsibility of the prison administrations and the state to take necessary precautions to ensure environmental and personal hygiene in prisons which are of utmost importance.
• Common areas such as bathrooms and toilets should be disinfected every day,
• Prisoners in specific risk groups for coronavirus should not be kept in crowded wards, but in wards with fewer people and more precautions,
• The preventative measures taken for healthcare professionals should be taken for prison staff as well; sweeping measures should be taken especially for those in the risk groups,
• Supplementing extra food and vitamins to prisoners,
• There should be sufficient number of health care professionals and personnel working in the prisons regularly (increasing the number if there is not enough),
• The necessary precautions should be taken to make testing quick and reliable for all prisoners, prison staff and their relatives.
• Increasing the measures in the areas of visits without violating prisoners' rights, and frequent disinfection of the visiting areas;
• Taking necessary measures specifically in the hospitals located near the prisons to ensure they can serve the prisoners,
• Transporting prisoners to hospitals not by shuttles, but by more hygienic and health-friendly vehicles
• In compliance with Article 16 of the Law on Criminal Execution, the examination of the files of ill prisoners who have appealed to defer their sentence for health-related reasons should be done promptly, and immediately they should be provided with proper treatment outside of the prison,
• Considering the prisoners' restricted access to communication tools, informing the prisoners about the outbreak and the ways to protect themselves from the virus,
• Establishing strict hygiene rules that apply to everyone who enters the prisons and informing the employees about these rules,
• All the health-related measurements should be taken carefully and reasonably without violating prisoners' basic rights

These precautions have been proposed by the following organizations:

Civil Society in the Penal System (CİSST), Right Initiative Association, Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch, İstanbul Chamber of Dentists, Health and Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) Branches, İstanbul Chamber of Medicine, Foundation for Society and Legal Studies, (TOHAV), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD). (TP/SD)