Letter from 68 women prisoners to CPT: Stop deaths in prison

68 women prisoners sent a letter to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) about recent deaths in Turkish prisons. “Use your power to stop deaths and inhuman practices in prison,” the letter said.

News Center- 68 women, who have been held in Sincar Women’s Closed Prison sent a letter to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) about recent deaths in Turkish prisons. Recalling the death of Abdullah Oran in prison on March 19, the women pointed to the situation of sick prisoners in the letter.

“Dozens of prisoners suffer from serious diseases. The number of prisoners, who have died under suspicious circumstances and who have served aggravated life sentences have been increasing.

The letter said:

“Due to the earthquakes and upcoming elections in Turkiye, the systematic torture in prisons is out of the agenda. As 68 women prisoners held in the Ankara Sincan Women’s Closed Prison, we are deeply concerned about this situation in prisons, particularly for the prisoners, who are held in solitary cells. Responsible for every death in prison is the state itself, which causes deaths without taking any measures. Beyond the inhuman situation, the systematic increase in deaths in prisons shows that this situation is caused by the “death policy” carried out in prisons. All of us, particularly our friends, who are isolated in solitary cells may face the same fate at any minute due to the ongoing silence against this situation.”

 Call on the CPT

“We call on the CPT to carry out the necessary investigations and prosecutions into deaths in prisons and share their reports on the situation in prisons with the public opinion,” the women prisoners said in the letter. The women also asked the CPT to urgently, “Use your power to stop deaths and inhuman practices in prison.”