‘We cannot give you eau de cologne, it contains alcohol’

* Photo: İHD İstanbul Branch

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Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch has released its "Report on Rights Violations in Prisons of Marmara Region." The report has been prepared based on the complaints submitted to the İHD İstanbul Branch about violations rights in 25 prisons in April, May and June.

While a total of 187 applications were made to the association in this period, each application was about more than one right violation. Accordingly, a total of 2,314 violations of rights were reported from 25 prisons in the Marmara Region (Kırklareli, Edirne, Tekirdağ, İstanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Sakarya, Bilecik, Balıkesir, Çanakkale and Yalova provinces.)

Of these 187 applications, four were made by women, two by LGBTI+s and 181 by male prisoners. While 12 of these prisoners were ordinary prisoners, 175 were political prisoners. Also, 533 violations of rights were reported in April, 645 in May and 1,136 in June.

'Violations on the rise with pandemic'

In the conclusion part of the report, the İHD has said that "physical attacks, threats, battery and torture of prisoners continued in three months," adding that "arbitrary treatment of prisoners and violations of rights were especially on the rise with the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak."

"Cell confinement was normalized in the name of quarantine, isolation and segregation deepened," the Association has underlined:

"Family and attorney visits were banned and, with their referral to hospital cancelled, prisoners were deprived of their opportunities of treatment.

"In several prisons, attacks, usurpation of rights, pressures, unjust and unlawful practices have become routine.

"In addition to disciplinary punishments, bans on periodicals-non-periodicals, books and letters, failure to send letters to government agencies and criminal complaints, prevention from using the right to talk and do sports, the canteens of prisons were closed and, when they were open, the prices were very high and the product range was poor.

'30 people stayed in 10-person wards'

"Prisoners of Kandıra Type F Prison were not given normal food for 10 days, they were given ready-made soups in packages and they were expected to meet their nutritional requirements like that. The release of prisoners from open prisons where food is cooked was cited as a reason for this.

"Arbitrary justifications were made for restrictions and bans. For instance, the request of a prisoner for a tea cup was rejected because it has a handle or a prisoner was not given eau de cologne because it contains alcohol.

"When prisoners asked for their summer clothes, they were told that their summer clothes were in the store room. The money sent by their families was given to them late, thereby preventing them from meeting their needs; they were not given masks, disinfectants, cleaning and hygiene products and they were also prevented from buying them with their own money.

"Similarly, the need for hot water was not met in some prisons, prisoners were put in crowded wards in a way preventing them from keeping their physical distance. At times, 30 people had to stay in 10-person wards."

The following violations were reported in three months:

Violation of right to healthcare - 161
Ban to use conversation, sports, common areas - 195
Unjust disciplinary punishments - 2
Discrimination in execution - 120
Ban or cancellation of visitation - 150
Cancellation of referral to hospital - 101
Cell confinement - 3
Ill treatment, battery, torture, - 177
Forced count on foot - 15
Referral to other prisons/ward against one's will - 4
Ban on periodicals, non-periodicals, books and letters 151
Complaints about unjust arrest or lack of fair trial - 132
Prevented from going to sick room - 107
Rejection of request for referral - 6
Psychological pressure - 20
Failure to process or answer petitions - 20
Failure to give medicine to ill prisoners - 31
Failure to give summer clothes - 10
Surveillance of wards - 2
Failure to inform families - 20
Failure to meet the needs for baby food - 3
Restriction of phone calls - 43
Canteen ban and excessive prices - 45
Failure to give diet food - 9
Parcel ban - 10
Prevention from having scissors, electric shaver - 17
Closed hearings - 5
Little and inadequate food - 257
A general restriction of hygiene and cleaning supplies - 203
Failure to give a radio - 1
Water not running - 30
Arbitrariness in quarantine - 11
Lack of precautions against COVID-19 (Failure to give eau de cologne, masks and hand disinfectants) - 283
COVID-19 positive prisoners - 3

(AS/SD)