Contact visits to resume in Turkey’s prisons after months

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - File

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Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül addressed the Parliamentary Commission on Planning and Budgetary on the occasion of 2022 budget talks yesterday (November 24). The Minister has announced that contact visits will resume in Turkey's prisons starting from December 1, 2021.

Contact visits have been suspended as part of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) measures since March 14, 2020.

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In his speech at the Commission, Justice Minister Gül said that they adopted measures in line with the recommendations of the Health Ministry and its Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board during the outbreak:

"The Science Board has decided that contact visits can start by complying with the mask, distance and hygiene measures. Accordingly, we have told our Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses that 'we will hold the contact visits in the shortest possible time'."

Noting that the related personnel have carried out the relevant works for this end, Justice Minister Gül said, "Contact visits will start again as of December 1, Wednesday. We have also introduced the necessary schedules so that one contact visit will be held in a month in addition to the two non-contact visits. We will hold the contact visits after a long time within the framework of the rules established by the Ministry of Health."

The relatives of prisoners can access information about the time of contact visits on the websites and phones of the related penal institutions.

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(AS/SD)