Former torture methods reemerge in Turkish prisons: Human Rights Association

ISTANBUL

Notorious former prison torture methods have reemerged during the state of emergency declared after the July 15 failed coup attempt, in addition to overcrowding and poor conditions in Turkey’s jails, according to the Human Rights Association (İHD). 

The association’s lawyer, Gülseren Yoleri, said rights violations started immediately after the arrests were made following the failed seizure of power, believed to have been masterminded by the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ).

“Being detained for 30 days and getting no help from lawyers is torture in itself. Law and justice are necessary for everybody,” Yoleri told daily Cumhuriyet on Sept. 14, describing what the İHD has monitored in Istanbul’s Silivri Prison.

“There are preventions regarding [medical] treatment. They are saying, ‘We can’t take you to hospitals due to the state of emergency.’ The prison is also full beyond its capacity. Inmates are having to sleeping in turns due to lack of space,” she added. 

Yoleri also noted that inmates crammed into small cells had to take turns at windows in order to get fresh air. 

“Many have been experiencing health problems and some are thinking about engaging in a hunger strike. There is chaos in the prisons. Disciplinary punishments have increased. Strip searches are obligatory when entering and exiting cells. When one rejects it, violence steps in,” she said.

İHD lawyer Yoleri cited the case of a female teacher who applied to the İHD to describe the torture she experienced. 

“She said, ‘I saw my husband on the fourth day of his detention and he had bruises on his face. When I asked what happened, they told me that they could also detain me. He was very scared and I was threatened,’” she said. 

Also saying the İHD had two weeks ago visited the districts of Şırnak and Nusaybin in Turkey’s restive southeast, Yoleri stated that she heard about torture in detention centers there too. 

“They said, ‘The old methods of torture have reemerged. They described the torture tools used, including ones with electricity,’” she said.