VAN - In the report prepared on 7 prisons in Van, Erzurum and Bitlis, it was stated that the  rights to life, health and communication of detainees were hindered, and that the isolation conditions worsened.

 

Van Bar Association, Human Rights Association (İHD), Lawyers Association for Freedom (ÖHD), Association for Assistance with Detained and Convicted Families (TUHAY-DER), Erzurum Oltu Type T, Dumlu No. 1 and No. 2 High Security Prisons , Ahlat Type T Closed Prison, Van High Security, Type F and T  prisons have announced the report they prepared on the violations of rights. A press conference was held at the Van Bar Association Tahir Elçi Conference Hall for the report.

 

VIOLATIONS

 

Ebru Demirtepe, one of the directors of ÖHD Van Branch, who read the report, said: "In all the prisons we visited, prisoners were taken to the hospital very late, and in some prisons, no referrals were made to the hospital. Prisoners returned without being examined due to the imposition of mouth searches or handcuffed examinations. The right to access to health has been violated.

 

Noting that there is a quota for books in all prisons, Demirtepe said: “We have been informed that there is a quota of 3 to 10 books in the number of books kept in the room, that Kurdish books are not given in many prisons, and that even some prisons are not given Kurdish books at all. This issue appears to be a violation of the prisoners' freedom of education and expression. Again, on the grounds that daily newspapers such as Yeni Yaşam, Evrensel, Birgün are not given legally in all of the prisons mentioned, there are no opposition TV channels broadcasting on a national basis, the letters sent are mostly not given and even the letters given are censored, especially the letters written in Kurdish are not possible to translate, has been transferred to us. In this sense, it is seen that the prisoners' communication rights have been violated."

 

Demirtepe stated that the meals in most of the prisons they visited were not satisfactory and they were given very little, and said: "We were informed that the food in some prisons is too bad to be eaten, and that many times more inflation is experienced in the prison canteens, and that many prisoners cannot meet their needs due to the exorbitant prices in the canteen."