The suspicious death of Vedat Erkmen who died in his cell in Tekirdağ No 2 Type F High Security Prison draw attention to the prison which is known with the violations of rights. Although the prison administration made a statement that Erkmen had committed suicide, the fact that the autopsy was carried out in the absence of his lawyers and family, raised suspicion.

 

Erkmen who spoke to his family on January 23, told his family to come visit him in prison, asked his family to file a criminal complaint against the prison administration.

 

Right before the death of Erkmen, Yasin Eneç, another prisoner, in this prison was severely beaten by the guards who told that he was a terrorist and he did not have the right to be alive. Following the beating, he was put in a padded cell. Following this incident, and Erkmen's suspicious death, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP applied to the Human's Rights Commission of the parliament regarding the violations of rights in Tekirdağ prison and entered a motion to the parliament for an investigation into these violations, which was folowed by a parliamentary question addressed to Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül.

 

PRISONERS WENT ON A HUNGER STRIKE

 

Mehmet Süleyman Uçağan, Turfan İlbaş, Hüseyin Karadaş and two other prisoners whose names can't be obtained started a hunger strike and told that they did not believe their friend Erkmen had committed suicide, adding that their lives are in danger. The prisoners told their families that they have been on a hunger strike since January 17.

 

Mehmet Süleyman Uçağan who has been on a hunger strike for 9 days, conveyed some information about the death of Erkmen and the ongoing situation in the prison to his brother Kutbettin Uçağan who visited him in prison.

 

'THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO US'

 

Kutbettin Uçağan said the condition in the prison was too dire and told the following about the death of Erkmen, "The prison administration wanted to change Erkmen's ward against his will. Not accepting the change of wards, Erkmen and a friend of his was severely beaten by the guards and put in solitary confinement. Then he was found dead in that cell."

 

Uçağan stated that the prisoners did not believe in Erkmen's suicide because Erkmen was not that sort of person that could end his own life, and that's why he doesn't believe he could have committed suicide, and told that they are concerned the same could happen to them too. Uçağan told that his brother and other hunger strikers demand that the arbitrary practices and the pressure on the prisoners to end.

 

Uçağan called on relevant institutions and non-governmental organizations to hear the voices of his brother on hunger strike and other prisoners, demanding improvement in prison conditions.

 

THEY WERE THREATENED AFTER THEY SPOKE TO THE PROSECUTOR

 

Sevgül Karadaş, the wife of another prisoner Hüseyin Karadaş, who is on hunger strike, stated that her husband and friends, who do not believe that Erkmen committed suicide, were threatened after they told the public prosecutor who took their statements.

 

Karakaş said that they do not accept these inhuman treatment to the prisoners, the provocative rhetoric, threats of physical attacks, arbitrary ward raids and the pressure on the prisoners and demanded that their demands be met.

 

 

MA / Mehmet Güleş