The ÖHD Urfa Branch published a new report exposing rights violations in Tokat Type T Prison, where ill prisoners are unable to access medical care.

The report presented at the association’s office in Urfa (Riha), stated that many ill prisoners have withdrawn their hospital transfer requests due to the imposition of oral cavity searches, which has seriously disrupted their access to treatment.

According to Meral Halat, a member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), 11 out of 15 ill prisoners in Tokat Type T Prison are in critical condition, but they are either transferred too late or not sent to the hospital at all.

The health of several inmates is at risk of permanent damage due to the barriers to medical care.

The loss of vision suffered by 70-year-old Ömer Yaman, as well as the lack of intervention in serious conditions such as cancer and vision loss among other inmates, are among the most alarming violations cited in the report.

The report also noted discriminatory practices and arbitrary decisions to deny sentence reductions. It emphasized that political prisoners are subjected to separate execution regimes and face discriminatory treatment.

Meral Halat stated that this situation is incompatible with international law and called for the immediate establishment of independent monitoring mechanisms.

ÖHD also called on the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK), and the Human Rights Commission of the Turkish Parliament to investigate the violations taking place in Tokat Prison.