Claim that special torture team has been set up in prisons

The “Report into Rights Violations Experienced at Elazığ High-Security Closed Penal Institution” compiled by the Diyarbakır Bar Association Prison Monitoring Commission and the Human Rights Association’s Diyarbakır Branch was made public at a press conference held yesterday. Diyarbakır Bar Association Prison Monitoring Commission member, Önder Alçiçek, Attorney-at-Law, listed item by item what convicts are undergoing.

“Nobody recognises them”

Alçiçek said, “Convicts were asked by warders who had entered rooms for a count to move into counting position standing single file. With convicts refusing to accept this procedure, first a record was compiled about them and then they were subjected to beating and torture. A special team consisting of a large number of warders that entered the rooms beat up the convicts, subjected them to severe abuse and threat and threatened the convicts with death, smashed and dispersed the objects in the room and told them their lives were not safe because of the events that had taken place. The functionaries included in the special team in question were said by convicts to have been people they had never previously seen in the prison.” Alçiçek explained that the convicts were not sent to sick bay for a doctor’s report and visible signs of beating were identified by the commission on convicts who were interviewed.

“There are signs of beating on all of them”

Alçiçek, addressing the meeting attended by many lawyers, said, “The attempt was made to subject convicts to a count in the manner of a military muster, and those who resisted this were dragged out into the exercise yard. Convicts were tortured, subjected to abuse and even threatened with death. It was observed that, in general, the convicts all had signs of beating on their bodies and it was established that they had been systematically beaten and tortured. Convicts were not transferred to the sick bay or hospital on account of the beatings and torture and their rights to access health services were restricted.”

Call to ministry

Alçiçek, pointing out that prison management remained indifferent to the beatings and torture that had taken place, said, “We invite the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Human Rights Examination Commission to duly initiate the necessary legal processes and procedures to bring effective administrative and judicial oversight to bear on practices that impact on convicts’ right to life.”

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