Inmates in Turkish prisons to be allowed to send, receive e-mails

Nuray Babacan - ANKARA

Inmates jailed in Turkish prisons will now be able to send and receive e-mails, according to a new regulation sent to parliament by the Justice Ministry.

Prison officials will check and record all of the inmates’ e-mails digitally, except the ones that will be sent to lawyers for their defense.

There will also be some changes in the procedures of face-to-face meetings inside prisons.

The length of a visit for juvenile offenders will be no less than an hour and no more than three hours.

Juvenile offenders will be able to apply to prosecutor’s offices to meet anyone they wish.

All face-to-face meetings inmates hold will be recorded.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged on March 2 to strengthen freedoms of expression and organization in Turkey and the right to a fair trial as part of a Human Rights Action Plan, while emphasizing that the ultimate goal of the plan is to build a new constitution.

The government aims to further strengthen the understanding of a state of law based on human rights, and they will regularly review legislation and implementation in this regard and take necessary measures, Erdoğan stated.