RIHA - In Tokat T-Type Prison, the treatment of ill prisoners being prevented due to the oral search which has been going on for 7 months. The Administration and Observation Board is also preventing the release of prisoners in various grounds.
Violations of rights in prisons are deepening day by day. Lawyers from the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) met with prisoners in Tokat T-Type Closed Prison and stated that prisoners are prevented from treatment because they refuse to accept the oral search. This situation worsens the health problems of especially seriously ill prisoners and they are not given their medication for months. Prisoners who refuse the search are subjected to disciplinary penalties by the prison administration.
It is learned that Administration and Observation Board (IGK) prevented the release of Adnan Celebi, Mehmet Sayılgan, Ferit Sahin, Kamuran Tas, Aydın Degirmenci on various excuses.
The families of the prisoners we spoke to on the subject reacted to the incidents.
DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES
Seriously ill prisoner Suat Oguz has a cyst in his liver. Rifat Oguz, father of Suat Oguz, stated that they could not go to their children's visits due to the disciplinary penalty. Rifat Oguz stressed that they live in Êlih (Batman), even keeping their cild in Tokat is a speacial policy.
"Suat has been imprisoned for 13 years. We know that is is not accidental that they took him to a prison so far away. They want to forece us and punish us. They are trying to keep them away from us. However, even if they take Suat to America, we will still go to him and stand behind him," said the father.
Reacting to the visit penalty imposed on prisoners, father Oguz said, "Suat has a liver disease. He takes medication with a report. However, he said that he has not been able to get medication instead of the medication he has been taking for months because he has not been referred to a hospital. They say that they will never accept the mouth search imposed on them to go to the hospital because they find it degrading."
HIS RELEASE WAS PREVENTED 3 TIMES
Hasine Celebi is the mother of 30-year prisoner Adnan Celebi. Her son was prevented from being released on 12 September 2024, twice for 3 months and finally for 6 months.
"They are imposing remorse on our children. For 30 years we have been waiting for him, and now they are imposing this punishment on us," said Hasine Celebi and stated that Adnan Celebi had many illnesses but he was not treated because he refused to accept the mouth search during hospital referrals.
80 PERCENT VISION LOSS
The family of prisoner Mehmet Sayılgan also stated that the same violations of rights are taking place. Stating that Mehmet's release was prevented for 6 months, father Ramazan Sayılgan said, "Mehmet was arrested in Wan (Van) Payîzava (Gurpinar) in July 2016. He was sentenced to 9 years in rpison and now he is being held in prison under various excuses. Mehmet has 80 percent vision loss in both eyes. He was arrested in Wan and held there for a while. They took him to hospital there, but he was exiled while his treatment was ongoing. He petititoned the prison administration to go to a private hospital, but the administration refused, saying, 'We cannot send you to a hospital until your eyes are completely bilne'. Now he cannot go to the hospital becuse of this mouth search imposition."
7 MONTHS WITHOUT TREATMENT
OHD member lawyer Mehmet Ali Aslan stated that they visited the prison following the applications from prisoners and their families and added that the most important problem of the prisoners they met in Tokat Prison was the violations of rights regarding access to treatment. Stating that prisoners who are subjected to oral search are not referred to hospitals, Aslan said, "Soldiers conduct mouth searched. This is imposed every time they go to and from the hospital. The prison administration initiates disciplinary proceedings agianst prisoner who refuse to accept this. Prisoners have not been referred to hospital for 7 months. This situation is exacerbating the situation of sick prisoners.’
Aslan stated that they will take legal action against all these rights violations.
On the other hand, the prison administration rejected our request for an interview by saying "You need permission from the Ministry of Justice, it is against the legislation to provide information".
MA / Ceylan Şahinli