Prisoners end hunger strike after transfer from ‘well-type’ prison confirmed

Two prisoners have ended their hunger strike after their demands for transfer from an Erzurum prison were accepted, the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) has announced.

The prisoners, Cemil Kurt and Alişan Gül, had been protesting against the Type-Y high-security prison conditions, which have been criticized for human rights violations due to their isolation practices.

The Type-Y prisons, dubbed by prisoners as ‘well-type’ due to their design that emphasizes solitary confinement, have been under scrutiny for exacerbating social isolation and mental health issues among inmates. Reports indicate that prisoners in these facilities spend up to 22.5 hours a day in their cells, with limited access to outdoor areas and interaction with others.

Turkey’s new ‘high-security’ prisons raise ‘social isolation’ concerns

30 October 2023

Cemil Kurt has been transferred from Erzurum Dumlu No. 1 High-Security Prison to Kırıkkale F Type Prison, while Alişan Gül has been moved to Sincan No. 1 F Type Prison. These transfers come as a response to the prolonged hunger strike that highlighted the dire conditions faced by prisoners in Type-Y facilities.

Nurettin Kaya, another prisoner who had been on a ‘death fast’ in solidarity with Kurt and Gül, was previously transferred to Bolu Type-F Prison, as a result of the hunger strike. Kaya’s hunger strike, which lasted over 230 days, was a protest against the same high-security conditions and a plea for relocation to a prison that allowed for better ventilation and proximity to family.

‘High-security' prisons

Introduced over the past couple of years, the new ‘high-security’ prisons, officially named as types Y and S, have come under scrutiny due to the confinement conditions of prisoners. These prisons consist of single-person or three-person cells and notably lack openings to a small recreation area, unlike other high-security prisons. This is the reason that the prisons are called ‘well-type,’ said Öztürk Türkdoğan, deputy co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

“One must ask if such a prison, such a ward, such a cell model is even possible? In the place you are held, there is no door to the recreation area. They take you through another corridor to another location for fresh air. This is unacceptable,” Türkdoğan said last week during a press conference to reveal their findings about these prisons.

“It is also against the law. What does the law say? 'It will receive daylight.' How will it receive daylight? How will a room without an exercise yard door get daylight? It cannot. How will it get fresh air?" he questioned. (AS/VK)