MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed - While the rights violations faced by women in Turkish prisons have become systematic, no permanent solution has been found despite the calls for sick prisoners. Recently, women prisoners have faced many inhuman practices such as exile and strip search. In some prisons, women have gone on a hunger strike to protest the non-stop rights violations. Women prisoners who resist mistreatment, mouth search or strip search face solitary confinement and disciplinary punishments.

‘There is an increase in the number of transfers’

Seda Zengin, member of the Lawyers Association for Freedom (ÖHD) Diyarbakır branch, expressed that the violations in prisons should be kept on the agenda and should not be forgotten. “The Ministry of Justice is responsible for violations in prisons,” she said, “The ministry refrains from fulfilling its responsibilities. Recently, there is an increase in the number of transfers especially in prisons located in the Kurdish region. Prisoners have legal rights; however, prisoners are deprived of their rights by prison administrations.”

‘They are subjected to sexist practices’

Speaking about the rights violations faced by women prisoners, she said, “All these practices and rights violations we have mentioned are more challenging and painful particularly for women prisoners. Women prisoners face mistreatments, many rights violations, ban on visits, and transfer from one prison to another one. In addition to these rights violations, women are subjected to sexist practices and inhuman practices.”

Solitary confinement and disciplinary punishments

“When women prisoners are transferred to hospital from prison, they are subjected to harassment and they are handcuffed behind back,” Seda Zengin said, “Women prisoners also face problems in accessing personal care and protective materials. Due to unhealthy food, unbalanced diet, unhygienic food supplies, and vitamin deficiency, they suffer from many diseases such as dementia, arm and hand numbness, severe joint pain, blurred vision, hair loss and brittle nails. And, there are still cameras looking inside cells and these cameras violate the privacy rights of the prisoners.”

Hunger strikes

In some prisons such as Diyarbakır, Sincan and Şakran prisons, women have gone on hunger strikes to protest rights violations, mistreatment in prisons. Women held in the Bayburt Women’s Prison were held in solitary confinement for three days for protesting rights violations in the prison.

‘They are ignored despite calls’

Pointing out that no step has been taken for sick prisoners until now, Seda Zengin said, “The issue of sick prisoners has been on the agenda for years. Despite the calls for sick prisoners, their rights to life, to security and to freedom are still ignored. They are deprived of their rights.”

‘The ministry must take necessary steps for sick prisoners’

“The Ministry of Justice is obliged to protect the right to life of prisoners; however, it refrains from fulfilling its responsibilities,” Seda Zengin said, “Prisoners are subjected to inhuman practices, including torture. Sick prisoners are deprived of their right to health care because they reject the inhuman practices in prisons; they are not transferred to hospital and receive treatment. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the deaths and rights violations in prisons.”