Hear the Voice of Trans Inmate Buse: ‘I Have No Staying Power, I Want to Undergo Surgery’

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Transgender inmate Buse staged a 38-day hunger strike in 2018, requesting to have her gender transition surgery.

She was in Tekirdağ Type F Prison. After the court ruled that "she could have surgery", she ended her hunger strike. However, she was not operated. In response, Buse went on another hunger strike on January 31, 2019. After speaking with the prison administration, she ended her strike again.

In the meanwhile, the İstanbul Branch of Human Rights Association (İHD) sent the letter of Buse, where she talked about her situation, to the United Nations (UN) on the 20th day of her hunger strike. The letter emphasized that the prevention of the Ministry of Justice violates the Articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Despite the reports of both the court and hospitals indicating that "Buse can undergo her gender transition surgery", she has not yet been operated. In response, Buse cut her sexual organ in August 2019. She has been referred to Metris Prison, which has a rehabilitation center.

Buse has sent the following letter and picture to bianet:

"I went to Samatya Hospital. The department of Urology did not attend to me. The doctor told me, 'It is the first time that I have seen a transsexual'. He shook me off immediately. The department of Plastic Surgery attended to me and examined me. It referred me to the hospital in Çapa. I went to Çapa. Urology Department did not attend to me. It referred me to the Andrology. Plastic Surgery referred me to the Urology. It referred me to Andrology. Doctors did not talk to me. They tried to understand the situation by solely talking to the clerks from the window. They also referred me to the Andrology.

"I cannot know whether the Andrology Department will attend to me or not. I do not have any hope any longer. I feel very, very bad. I have no patience, no strength left. I said, 'I will definitely commit suicide if my surgery is prevented.' I said, 'There is not guarantee that I will not commit suicide in the event that the process of my surgery is delayed.'

"My mental health is also about to give alarm due to my physical health. If my surgery is not performed immediately, I will commit suicide. I will end my life. Actually, I did not want to talk about suicide. But, I have felt the need to mention it beforehand so that the authorities would not say 'We did not know or guess that something like that would happen.'

"I have no strength, patience, staying power and my mental and physical health is also alarming. I suffer even while urinating. My legs, feet, dresses get wet, they are drenched in urine. Urine sometimes splashes even to my face. Moreover, when my body is stimulated during sleep, I feel strong pain. But, I cannot talk to doctors about it. They do not let me speak. They shake me off immediately without looking at my reports, the minutes. With their every gesture, they make their hate and disgust towards me visible. They do not care about it even though my suicide is a hundred percent unavoidable. I am mentally collapsed. I hope that something will be done urgently. Otherwise, I have to do something urgently myself.

"I am tired of my life, my being, I have come to feel ashamed of myself. I have come to feel ashamed of constantly expressing my sufferings.

"Note: I have only one change of clothes. Can you please send me dress and skirt? I am extending my greetings and loves to all friends." (EMK/SD)