RIHA - Prisoner İsmet Karak described the practices in Sincan High Security Prison No. 2 and said: “We are being forced to say, 'Either compromise your political identity and honor, or lose your basic human rights!”
İsmet Karak, a prisoner in Ankara Sincan High Security Prison No. 2, wrote a letter to our agency about the rights violations he was subjected to. Pointing out that the prison was specially designed to impose severe isolation conditions on political prisoners, Karak said that they were brought to Sincan as Kurdish political prisoners on October 3, 2021. Karak stated that Sincan High Security Prison No 2 is completely under absolute isolation conditions and that the administration is also practicing unlawful practices.
'APPEALS ARE DRAGGED OUT'
Stating that their appeals against the problems they have been experiencing are dragged out, Karak said: “First of all, we are being forced to say, 'Either compromise your political identity and therefore your dignity, or lose your basic human rights!’ Since we defend under all circumstances that we will not give up our identity and therefore our dignity, we are deprived of our most basic human rights. Other prisoners can go to painting workshops, courses and other activities. They are allowed 2 hours of fresh air, but we are not. This is not something that we can only consider as a double standard. We want to meet with the first director of the prison about the problems, but it is as if there is no such person. Apart from a few people, no one sees the first warden. The second warden, on the other hand, instead of finding solutions to the problems, legitimizes the wrongs. This approach deepens the existing problems.”
PROBLEMS THEY FACE
Karak listed the problems they face as follows:
* “Not only aggravated life prisoners, but also specific term prisoners, convicts and those serving time in prison are held in solitary confinement. In violation of the law on execution, we Kurdish political prisoners are held in the same unit with other prisoners. For this reason, there are serious ideological, political, social and cultural problems.
* Prisoners in different wards are prevented from even the slightest contact. Each corridor is isolated from other corridors like a separate prison. According to the circular, at least 10 hours a week and in groups of ten people should be spent in common activities such as chatting, sports, courses, workshops, hobbies, but here only six people are allowed to chat once a week for one and a half hours and do sports for one and a half hours. Apart from that, we are deprived of all our social activities. We can only use our one and a half hour go fresh air right for 1 hour.
* We are prevented from exchanging books and newspapers among ourselves. We are prevented from sending books to our friends in other dungeons. If the books that come in parcels mention the freedom movement, free Kurdishness, Kurdistan, or even in a sentence, we cannot receive these books. Countless disciplinary penalties and solitary confinement are imposed on arbitrary grounds. We are subjected to four searches, two of which are detector searches and two of which are physical.
* Our visiting hours have been changed to nine in the morning, making it difficult for our families living outside the city to come to the visit, and a de facto visit ban is imposed. Open visitation places are divided by glass booths and monitored by cameras, and guards stand next to us. Hospital transfers are constantly postponed or canceled. Seriously ill prisoners are denied access to health care or are taken to appointments six months or a year later. This situation aggravates health problems. Elderly or seriously ill prisoners are held in solitary cells and their requests for transfer to other prisons are rejected.
* Poor quality products are sold at exorbitant prices in the canteen. The canteen does not sell stationery except for a 40-sheet notebook and a ballpoint pen. Water installation parts, which are fixtures and subject to the central Ministry's budget, are sold for money, and those who do not or cannot pay for them are left without water because they cannot get the taps repaired when they break down. The prison administration does not implement the decisions of the Execution Judge and even the Constitutional Court in our favor.”
Karak stated that the prison administration legitimized the situation and commented, “This is a unique and higher security prison.” Karak emphasized that they will not give up expressing their democratic demands and fighting against the situation.
MA / Ceylan Şahinli