Battered for Asking for Book, Grup Yorum Member Files Criminal Complaint

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Grup Yorum band member Sultan Gökçek has written that they were beaten by prison guards in İzmir, Şakran Women’s Prison where she is kept, has filed a criminal complaint against prison guards.

In her letter where she told the incident, she said that their books weren’t given to them and they cannot read book.

Telling that they were beaten by the prison guards who entered their cells in the wake of them asking for their books, Gökçek wrote that a woman guard strangled her in her throat and the finger marks on her throat were reported in the doctor report.

Gökçek attempted to tell the incident in her hearing but Audio and Visual Information System by which she attended the hearing was disconnected.

“The guard tried to strangle me”

Sultan Gökçek wrote in her letter:

“Our right to get and read book has been seized by prison administration illegally. We cannot get neither book nor magazine for months. We met with prison administration for several times but we couldn’t get any positive result and no step has been taken for the solution.

“Lastly, we were threatened in the meeting where we voiced our demand for books. On July 2, over 50 prison guards entered our cell and assaulted us. We were kicked on the floor. A woman guard strangled me in my throat while four women guards were holding me in my arms and legs. The finger marks on my throat were included in the doctor report as well.

“We were tortured for like an hour. I was injured in my knees and arms. These injuries were also included in my medical report. All this incident occurred in front of wardens’ eyes”.

Gökçek added that she filed a criminal complaint into the incident.

Four members are on the “grey list”

Grup Yorum band members are on the “wanted due to terrorist activities” list on the ground that they are members of the DHKP-C. The Ministry of Interior had declared that anyone helping the members be captured would be granted 300 thousand TL.

11 members of the group consisting of 18 people are behind bars. Selma-İnan Altın and four members of the group are on the “wanted” list, and one other band member was released after being kept in prison for a while. (AS/TK)