“'Meticulous Attention' of Mr. Minister”
Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin said "the medical treatments of the patient prisoners and detainees are done meticulously"as a respond to a parliamentary question.
General Secretary of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Bakkalcı said "Last week 2 prisoners passed away at the prison. The authorities should avoid this unserious manner that deepens the pain." at his explanation to bianet.
Mahmut Çakan (48) was in Doğubeyazıt Closed Prison since 2005 and he had the illness of liver failure for 2 years. Çakan requested for his release in order to be treated and applied to presidency however all his applications were denied. He died on April 12th at the Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital where he was receiving a treatment.
Nurettin Soysal stayed at Diyarbakır, Adıyaman and Muş Prisons for 16 years and he caught lymph cancer. He was released on November 2010 and he died at Ankara University Medical Faculty Hospital on April, 9.
75-year-old Mahmut Karataş was suffering from severe diabetes, his both eyes were blind and he died on April 3rd at Bingöl M type Closed Prison as he wasn't released.
3 Nisan'da da Bingöl M Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi'nde, ileri derecede şeker hastası olan, iki gözü de görmemesine rağmen tahliye edilmeyen 75 yaşındaki Mahmut Karataş hayatını kaybetti.
"520 patients, five files"
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Bingöl Parliamentarian İdris Baluken tried to find out the answers of following questions at the parliamentary question on April 2nd:
"How many prisoners and detainees at the prisons? At which level are the medical equipment, diagnostic and treatment facilities at the prison infirmaries? Is the number of medical staff sufficient? How many prisoners are there at the prisons having chronic or life-threatening diseases?"
Baluke also wanted an explanation for the claims that the prisoners that are severely ill could not receive the necessary treatment. Moreover he asked how many prisoners are waiting for the amnesty of the president.
The answer was given by Minister Ergin:
"There are 520 severely ill prisoners and detainees and those patients are treated 'meticulously' in accordance with medical necessity and legislation. There are five files waiting for the amnesty of the president."
"They are talking about the figures by emotionless sentences"
After the explanations of the ministry, Bakkalcı said "The authorities should avoid such unserious manners of approaching that deepens the pain."
" The population of the prisons is now around 130.000 and this figure was around 55.000 at 2005 (According to the ministry there are 36.868 prisoners and 94.449 sentenced people). This crowd creates a big problem in terms of health rights and that might threaten the human health directly ."
"They have to analyze and discuss this situation in detail seriously with the participation of the relatives of those patients and human rights societies rather than making such emotionless sentences. There's a need for serious political will."
"They do not even apply the articles in law"
Bakkalcı reminded the 16/2. article of the Law on the Execution of Penalties and Security Measures:
"In any other case of illness, the execution of the prison sentence shall be continued in those parts of official health institutions which are allocated for convicts. However, if the execution of the prison sentence even in this way presents an absolute danger for the life of the convict, its execution shall be postponed until he is cured."
Bakkalcı mentioned that they do not respect to this article and this creates a deep pain in the conscience of society.
"The Ministry is an obstacle for this operation"
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) detected that there were 142 patient prisoners in the prisons as of 2011. When we asked about the recent figures Bakkalcı said that any attempt of TİHV regarding the figures was unanswered and even though they always express their problems in accessing information, no one takes a step further. Bakkalcı emphasized the indispensable need for an efficient operation at the prisons applied by independent professionals and he added that the Ministry is the primary obstacle for such an operation. (AS)