İZMİR - In the last month, 16 political prisoners in Izmir prisons were transferred to other prisons in handcuffs without informing them. Lawyer Eylem Zengin from ÖHD said that those transferred were prisoners of 30 years and were transferred to newly opened prisons. 

 

After prisoners started protests demanding "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish issue", the pressure in prisons has increased. One of the pressures is the transfer of prisoners to other prisons against their will, which is described as "exile". 

 

From Izmir Type F Prison, where prisoners participated intensively in the protests, 16 prisoners were transferred to other prisons against their will, without informing them, in handcuffs. On July 8, 16 prisoners were transferred to other prisons after writer Zeki Bayhan from Izmir Type F Prison No. 2 was transferred to Kocaeli Type F Prison No. 2. 

 

TRANSFERRED PRISONERS

 

Lawyers' Association for Freedom (ÖHD) Izmir Branch Prison Commission Co-Spokesperson Eylem Zengin shared the names of the prisoners who were transferred. 

 

The prisoners are as follows: "Yaşar Cinbaş was transferred from Izmir Type F Prison No 1 to Tekirdağ Çorlu High Security Prison,

 

*Mehmet Salih Atlı was transferred from Izmir Type F Prison No 2 to Burdur High Security Prison, 

 

*Nihat Ekmez was transferred from Izmir Type T Prison No 2 to Tekirdağ Çorlu High Security Prison, 

 

*Ferhan Mordeniz was transferred from Menemen Type T Prison to Antalya, 

 

*Erbin Baran, Abdülaziz Yılmaz, Abdullah Günsel, Adem İşliyen and Nedim Gül were transferred from Ödemiş Type T Prison to Burdur High Security Prison, 

 

*Şiyar Aydemir and 5 other prisoners, whose names are unknown, were transferred from Ödemiş Type T Prison to Tekirdağ Çorlu High Security Prison."

 

Stating that almost all of the transferred prisoners had been in prison for 30 years, Zengin said that some of them were less than 2 years away from release. 

 

'TRANSFER TURNS INTO ILL-TREATMENT'

 

Lawyer Eylem Zengin stated that all the transfers took place against the prisoners' will. Stating that the prisoners were not informed before the transfers, Zengin said: "Many of them did not even get some of their belongings. The transfers are carried out in ring vehicles, many times in handcuffs. Due to the summer season and the long duration of the journey, it turns into ill-treatment. In addition, some of the exiled prisoners have been in prison for many years and have many health problems due to this." 

 

'TRANSFERS TO HIGH SECURITY PRISONS'

 

Pointing out that almost all of the transfers were to newly opened high security prisons, Zengin said the following: "These prisons are places where isolation and isolation are at an extreme level, even the private areas of prisoners are monitored by cameras 24 hours a day, and they are not allowed to benefit from ventilation sufficiently. In addition, while making these deportations, it is not taken into consideration whether the prisoner will be close to his/her family or not. Many families cannot go to the visits due to financial constraints and long journeys. This results in the violation of prisoners' right to respect for family life. For these reasons, these deportations, which are against the prisoners' will, must be stopped."

 

MA / Tolga Güney