‘They batter us when we refuse strip search’

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"I was taken to Muş Prison for my hearing on June 21. They imposed a strip search at the entrance to the prison there, I refused. My clothes were taken off by force, I was battered and they punched me in the back.

"After I had my hearing on June 21, we set off for Kırıkkale again. I stayed one night as a guest at the Elazığ No. 1 Prison. They also imposed a strip search at Elazığ No. 1 Prison, I did not accept it.

"I was locked up in a room by three personnel. I was battered, smashed and kicked there, my clothes were taken off by force. Then, another one came and battered me. After I went inside, I was battered by another worker. They swore at my familial and social values with unspeakable curses."

Sending a letter to the Human Rights Association (İHD) Prisons' Commission, Kerem İmrak, a prisoner from Kırıkkale Type F Prison, says that he was subjected to strip search in prison and shares his experience in the above words, which are also mentioned in the İHD commission's report.

While the authorities do not accept that there is strip search in Turkey, we have compiled some of the experiences of strip search as uttered by prisoners and cited in the İHD prison reports over the past year.

The reports have shown that prisons are the closed spaces where violations of rights most frequently occur in the country:

"Prisoners, in these closed spaces, are forced to live with the constantly reproduced violence and violations of rights. Hundreds of rights violations can be listed, such as preventing prisoners from using their right to healthcare, their hours- and days-long transfer in handcuffs in one-person shuttles, which is not compatible with human dignity, strip search, counts on foot, physical and psychological torture, turning a blind eye to the violence of one prisoner against another, refusing to transfer prisoners to places near their families even though it is possible, abolishing social rights, disregarding the rights of communication, information and culture..."

'They do a search with only underpants on'

In the İHD report on Şırnak Type T Prison, two prisoners said:

"While we are taken to hospital, gendarmerie mistreat us just like wardens. Body search turns into ill treatment. They do a strip search by leaving us only with our underpants. They took our friend Y.U. to the emergency service of the hospital; when he came back, wardens physically attacked him by smacking him." (Agit Bilik)

"I have been arrested for nearly one and a half years now. When one enters the prison for the first time, he or she is forced to have a strip search. Similarly, our families who come to visit us are also imposed a strip search. For this reason, there emerge long queues on the days of visitation and our right to visitation is restricted." (Serhat Sevişoğlu)

'They forced a strip search, I did not accept it'

From the Observation Report on Bandırma Type T Prison:

"It was around October 14 when I was sent from Ordu Prison. When I was brought to Bandırma, I was forced to undergo a strip search. When I did not accept it, they did not insist. I stayed in quarantine for 14 days. I was diagnosed with severe bone infection due to a car accident that I had before I was sent to prison. With the report of the Ordu Training and Research Hospital dated June 29, 2020 and the permission of the Samsun Regional Hospital, a letter was sent to the Ministry of Justice around 6-7 months ago so that I could be treated in Cerrahpaşa Hospital. We have not yet received any response." (H.T).

'They tried to take off our clothes by force'

From the report on Türkoğlu Prison in Maraş:

"On July 19, 2019, I was taken from the Tarsus Type T No. 3 prison to Türkoğlu Type L No. 1 Prispn. They imposed a strip search at the entrance to the prison. As we refused to undergo a strip search, they took us to separate rooms, tried to take off our clothes by force and battered us by forcing us to lie on the floor. I and other fellow prisoners were wounded in this incident of battery. When they do a body search, they search us in a humiliating manner, they search us to our testicles." (Veysi Altan from the Türkoğlu Type L No. 1 Prison)

'They battered me when I resisted'

"On July 31, 2019, I was taken from the Batman Type M Prison to the Türkoğlu Type L Prison. I was subjected to strip search at the entrance to the prison. They did the search in such a bad way that they wanted us to take off all our clothes. We objected to it. Then, they tried to take off our clothes by force. They battered us when we resisted. As it is a new prison, they are constantly trying to establish discipline by pressure and threats. Wardens look at us in a very bad way. We hold back from asking anything. When we ask something, they rebuff. They try to maintain discipline by shouting and frightening." (Mazlum Tekin from the Türkoğlu Type L No. 1 Prison)

'They didn't batter me because I was old and sick'

"I have been convicted for 25 years. I have severe diseases and a chronic cardiac disease. I was taken from the Tarsus No. 1 Prison to the Türkoğlu Type L Prison. They imposed a strip search at the entrance; they did not batter me as I was old and sick, but they took off the clothes of young prisoners by force, took them in a room and battered them badly." (Cemil İvrendi from the Türkoğlu Type L No. 1 Prison)

'There was strip search at the entrance to all prisons'

"I stayed in the Mardin Type E Prison in July 2017. Then, I was sent to the Tarsus No. 2 Type T Prison. In February 2019, I was transferred to the Türkoğlu No. 2 Type L Prison. There was a forced strip search at the entrance to all prisons that I have entered so far and they were battering prisoners when they refused. This has become a routine now. Even when you come from one prison to another, they impose a strip search. It does not make a difference whether you are brought to the prison in a large group or on your own. They want you to take off all of your clothes and, when you object, they batter you. I was also subjected to strip search when I was first brought here. It is not only the wardens who do the strip search, they do it with soldiers. They took off my clothes by force." (Fırat Turgay from the Türkoğlu Type L No. 2 Prison)

'They used force to strip them'

From prisoners' statements in a report on Maraş No. 2 Type T Prison:

"They have indicated that they were transferred in shuttles from the Kayseri Bünyan Type T Penal Institution to the Kahramanmaraş Türkoğlu No. 2 Type L Penal Institution, they were kept waiting in these vehicles in front of the penal institution for nearly 4 hours, they were subjected to strip search at the entrance to the prison and their clothes were taken off by force after they did not accept strip search and said that it was a human right violation." 

(AS/SD)