'No hearse provided for man who suspiciously died in prison'

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No hearse was provided for Şervan Can Güder, 20, who suspiciously lost his life on March 22 in  Van Prison in the mostly Kurdish-populated eastern province of Van, the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reported.

The Van Yüzüncü Yıl Forensic Medicine Institution reported Güder's cause of death as "heart attack." His family and lawyers brought his body to the Yüksekova State Hospital for a preliminary autopsy to be carried out again.

Güder did not have any chronic diseases and was not using medicine, MA reported, citing his family. He had been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Faurk Gergerlioğlu announced yesterday (March 23) that a funeral vehicle was not provided for Güder.

"Why are you doing such inhumane things?" the MP asked in a Twitter post addressing Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ.

HDP deputy brought the issue into the parliamentary agenda, submitting a parliamentary question to Bozdağ.

He asked what Güder's cause of death was, whether he had a chronic disease, as well as the following questions:

• What time did the death occur and who did the first aid?
• Was there a medical team in Van F Type Closed Prison at the time of the incident?
• Do you conduct general health screening for detainees and convicts?

Suspicious deaths in prisons

On February 20, a prisoner named Sezer Alan lost his life suspiciously at the Iğdır Type-S Closed Prison. In his last meeting with his family on February 19, Alan said that he had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment by the prison guards and that he had blood in his urine.

Sinan Kaya, 28, an inmate at the same prison, also suspiciously lost his life on March 17. HDP deputy Fatma Kurtulan had said, "It is claimed that there was a fire in the solitary cell where he was kept, Kaya was seen with a sweater on his face, Kaya was taken out of prison but it was unknown where he was taken to." (RT/VK)