Almost 1,700 juveniles jailed in Turkey as of March

ANKARA

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ’s statement came in response to a motion filed by a MHP Ankara deputy. AA Photo

As of March 2014, the total number of children in prison and detention centers throughout Turkey stands at 1,686, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has said.

Bozdağ’s statement came in response to a motion filed by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Ankara deputy Özcan Yeniçeri, Anadolu Agency reported on July 2.

He also elaborated on ongoing efforts to improve education and training opportunities for juvenile inmates, as well as psychological and social services.

Bozdağ also stated that the numbers of children in Turkish prison and detention centers since 2002 was as follows: 1,497 in 2002; 1,657 in 2003; 1,628 in 2004; 1,406 in 2005; 1,794 in 2006; 2,148 in 2007; 2,075 in 2008; 2,047 in 2009; 1,584 in 2010; 1,924 in 2011; 1,583 in 2012; and 1,978 in 2013.

In late June, a report drafted by two deputies from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) revealed violence in the juvenile ward of the Adana Ceyhan Prison. The report claimed that there were several cases of rape in the prison, while security guards complained that prisoners had thrown razor blades and poured boiling water on them.

In October 2013, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published a report on its June 2012 visit to Turkey, also including the response of the Turkish authorities.

The CPT visit was triggered by allegations earlier in 2012 of inter-prisoner violence and ill-treatment of juvenile prisoners by staff at Pozantı Prison, located on the outskirts of the southern city of Adana.

The report stated that “the great majority of [inmates] made consistent and credible allegations that they had been victims of frequent and severe violence by fellow inmates in that establishment,” said the CPT report.