'Prisoners given solitary confinement for warning guards about virus measures'

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The Prisons Commission of the Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch has released its second quarterly report on rights violations in prisons.

"During three months, physical assaults, threats, battery, strip search, torture and maltreatment through cell raids, violations in the field of the right to healthcare and treatment, arbitrary bans and practices continued," said the association.

İHD İstanbul received six applications in April, 30 applications in May and 36 applications in June. Thirty-three of all 72 applications came from İstanbul's Silivri Prison, where thousands of political prisoners are held.

Highlights of the report:

• Restrictions on social rights on the pretext of the Covid-19 pandemic continued, confinement and isolation deepened.

• Prisoners are not only prevented from socializing but also from social solidarity, cultural development, and understanding what is happening in the outside world.

• Covid-19 cases increased due to insufficient measures. Prisoners who tested positive were put in the same cells with people who were not infected.

• Problems with hospital referrals and access to treatment continued to increase due to appointment cancellations, people being examined with handcuffs and unfavorable quarantine practices during the pandemic.

• Prisoners with Covid-19 are still not provided with adequate nutrition. Guards don't use masks and gloves during cell and body searches. Prisoners who warn or object to them are given solitary confinement.

• One of the most common problems in this period was the strip search practices and guards trying to look inside the mouth of a prisoner.

• Prisoners who refuse strip search are tortured and their clothes were forcefully taken off. Also, lawsuits are filed against them for resisting officers while their complaints were not prosecuted.

• Another problem is that prison guards constantly create tension by swearing, insults and maltreatment towards prisoners. The hostile behavior towards the prisoners has reached the highest level.

• The problems with family and attorney visits continue. The number of visitors is still restricted to two.

"Don't wait for a hunger strike"

The İHD said that rights groups, legal organizations and politicians should not wait for a hunger strike by prisoners to oppose confinement in prisons, which is a method of torture.

"... It should be admitted that all democratic powers should question themselves," it said.

It further said that all measures should be taken to protect the lives of prisoners in the risk groups, most notably seriously ill prisoners.

"We don't report rights violations just to provide information. Fundamentally, we aim to prevent rights violations by drawing the attention of authorities and the public to the issues," it said. (AS/VK)