PKK prisoner goes on hunger strike after being tortured

Cüneyt Gül, a PKK prisoner held in Bandırma Prison, was tortured after being deported to Isparta Prison about a month ago.

Cüneyt Gül, a PKK prisoner held in Bandırma Prison, was tortured after being deported to Isparta Prison about a month ago. Gül, who was placed in an isolation cell, went on hunger strike.

Gül, who was deported to Isparta Prison, where there are only 3 PKK prisoners, was kept in quarantine for 21 days. Gül's lawyer, Özgür Yakut, spoke to the ANF and gave information about Gül's situation.

Pointing out that where Gul should be kept in quarantine for 14 days under normal conditions, this period is extended to 21 days, Yakut said: “My client has been sent to the ward where 3 PKK members are located. A few days after Cüneyt Gül was taken to the ward, the guard enters to impose a standing count. When those staying in the ward refused to obey, the guards beat Cüneyt Gül: They kicked, slapped and punched him. They do this with the instructions of a ward named Yilmaz. Yilmaz himself was there during the assault."

Yakut added: “My client cannot feel his left arm and hand after being beaten. A disciplinary investigation has been opened because Cüneyt Gül and his friends do not accept the standing count. In addition, my client was put in an isolation cell. He is not given newspaper or television. Even the books he brought with him from the other prison have not been given to him. He continues to be exposed to insults, swearing and threats many times during the day. Eventually my client sent a petition to the Ministry of Justice, but we think that this petition had not been even sent out from prison.”

Lawyer Yakut said that his client went on hunger strike to protest what happened. “He is currently on a hunger strike. When I met him, his psychological and physical condition was not good at all. He fears that the prison administration will harm him. We're talking about someone who can't move his left arm in any way. Again, he was hit on various parts of his body. As his defense lawyer, I wanted to meet with the prison authorities, but they refused. I will then file a criminal complaint against prison staff. We will put it on the agenda of the Ministry of Justice and the Parliament. I will also file a criminal complaint with the Isparta Chief Public Prosecutor's Office about the prison director, officials and staff. "

Mazlum Gül: My father’s life is at risk

Mazlum Gül, son of Cüneyt Gül, stated that his father has been a political prisoner for 17 years and added: “My father was deported to different prisons during this time. Finally, he was held in Bandırma Prison and was deported to Isparta Prison because of to the disciplinary penalties he was given. For years, he was subjected to psychological and physical violence in every prison. Each time he could convey this to us somehow, but we could not communicate in any way for about 20-25 days after his last deportation. We got neither a phone call nor anything else. They used the epidemic as an excuse to keep him without communication. Our lawyer visited my father and told us that he was exposed to a lot of physical torture. We are very concerned about my father's life safety. We are trying to keep this situation on the agenda. We demand that politicians and legal institutions also deal with this issue. In the last period, political prisoners are exposed to psychological and physical violence. Therefore, we must overcome this process with solidarity.”