Consitutional court finds prison guilty of maltreatment

DÜZCE

An ex-convict who sued the prison administration where they had served their sentence, citing overcrowded wards and lack of hygiene, has been entitled to compensation of 78,000 Turkish Liras in a precedent-setting verdict by the Constitutional Court.

Fatih Seyis, the ex-convict who was imprisoned in Düzce Closed Penal Institution for a crime he committed, was released in 2019.

During his stay in the prison, Seyis informed the prison about his demands for a newspaper to be brought on condition that he pays for it himself and to reduce the number of prisoners in the wards due to the crowded conditions.

As the prison rejected his requests, Seyis applied to the Judge of Execution Office.

The court stated that due to the large number of sudden arrests and transfers, more convicts and detainees enter the institution, and therefore the prison houses more convicts and detainees than its maximum capacity.

However, the court rejected Seyis' demands, stating that this problem had tried to be resolved by transfers and that the newspaper was not brought to the execution institution by the dealer on the grounds that there was not enough demand for the newspaper.

Seyis objected to the decision of the court and the matter was brought to the Düzce High Criminal Court, where it was once again definitively rejected on the grounds that the decision was in accordance with the procedure and the law.

In 2018, Seyis applied to the Constitutional Court for 996,000 liras in material and moral compensation on the grounds of violation of the prohibition of ill-treatment and freedom of expression.

The Constitutional Court examined Seyis' claims that he slept in front of the toilet due to the crowded wards and that there were serious problems in terms of health and hygiene.

Announcing its decision, the court ruled that Seyis be paid a total of 78,000 liras in non-pecuniary compensation, 18,000 liras for violation of freedom of expression and 60,000 liras for violation of the prohibition of ill-treatment.