One More Inmate Claims Own Life in Prison

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In the protests against the isolation imposed on PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, one more inmate has ended her life. Medya Çınar has claimed her own life in the Mardin Type-E Closed Prison.

Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) Mardin MP and Deputy Group Chair Mithat Sancar confirmed the incident after meeting he held with the Governorship of Mardin, the Mezopotamya Agency reported.

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According to the daily Evrensel, Medya Çınar was detained in 2015 during the curfews. She was arrested again on May 31, 2016, with 42 others. She was being tried at the Mardin 4th Heavy Penal court. In all the five hearings, she told the torture she was subjected to.

Both sources reported that her body was put in the morgue of the Mardin State Hospital.

Fifth death in the protest of the isolation

Medya Çınar has become the fifth person who claimed own life in the protests against the isolation.

The other people who ended their lives are Uğur Şakar (February 21, Germany), Zülküf Gezen (March 17, Tekirdağ Type-F Prison No. 2), Ayten Beçet (March 22, Gebze Type-M Women's Closed Prison), Zehra Sağlam (March 24, Oltu Type-T Prison).

Statement from PKK

The PKK released a statement, calling the inmates to not end their lives. While it commemorated those who claimed their own lives, PKK called the inmates not to conduct "individual acts".

İHD and TİHV: People ending their lives in unacceptable

Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Secretary General Metin Bakkalcı made press statement today (March 25) on the hunger strikes and the isolation in prisons.

The statement briefly said the following:

"The people who ended their lives in protest of the isolation on Abdullah Öcalan, who is held at the İmralı Prison, left us with deep sadness.

"We want to remind that life is sacred. As the human rights defenders, we defend the right to life in every condition.

"We make a call here. No one shall end their lives in prisons or anywhere else.

"We want to state that we absolutely don't approve this type of acts and we are against them.

"We are aware of the political and psychological environment that the inmates are in. But people ending their lives for the removal of the isolation is not acceptable and this type of acts should not be resorted to."

'Families should be allowed to mourn'

The statement said that the families of the inmates who lost their lives were not able to make funerals upon their religion, culture and customs as the bodies of the inmates "were put to rest hastily by the police at night."

Saying that the families should be able to live their grief processes, the statement called the government to "leave this disrespectful and illegal stance against the funerals and allow the families to live their grief processes."

(EKN/HK/VK)