Female prisoners held in the Diyarbakır Closed Women’s Prison were reportedly tried to be searched in front of the camera before their contact visits. After objecting to the body searches, they weren’t reportedly allowed to have contact visits. According to the reports we received, the prisoners’ families have been banned from having contact visits with their relatives for two months.

 MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed- Contact visits in prisons were banned since March 2020 in Turkey due to the Covid-19 outbreak. In December 2021, contact visits were allowed; however, many prisoners haven’t been allowed to have contact visits for different reasons. On January 10, female prisoners held in the Diyarbakır Closed Women’s Prison weren’t reportedly allowed having contacts visits for objecting to body searches in front of the camera.

Body search is imposed in front of the camera!

One of the relatives of the prisoners told us that they waited hours in the prison to see their relatives but they couldn’t. “We were told that the prisoners had objected to the body searches and for this reason, they wouldn’t have contact visits. We protested this practice. Body search is imposed on prisoners in front of the camera."

Stating that they faced the same practice before, the person said, "We had been allowed to see our relatives after protesting the practice. This time, they threatened us saying that they would force us out. We went out by shouting slogans. Then, we learned that we have been banned from having contact visits with our relatives in prison for two months.”