The Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Istanbul Branch shared findings from its report covering the period from January to June 2025. The report documents systematic rights violations in prisons across the Marmara Region, including prolonged solitary confinement, strip searches, denial of the right to healthcare, arbitrary disciplinary punishments, and politically motivated obstructions to release.

The report stated that prison administrations blocked the conditional release of 93 prisoners on arbitrary grounds such as “lack of remorse” and “not disassociating from the organization.” It was noted that these practices have become systematic in facilities such as Bolu, Tekirdağ, and Bakırköy prisons.

The report also highlighted that there are currently 47 seriously ill prisoners in the region. Despite receiving forensic medical reports stating they were unfit to remain in prison, some have not been released. One example cited was an 85-year-old prisoner and another with both arms amputated.

Strip searches, handcuffed examinations, and publication bans

The report documented the imposition of strip searches and handcuffed medical examinations on prisoners in Çorlu and Gebze prisons. It also noted that Kurdish-language and opposition publications were withheld, social rights were restricted, and communication was obstructed.

Call from Abdullah Öcalan

In the final section of the report, the ÖHD recalled Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February 2025 call for peace and a democratic society, emphasizing that lifting the isolation imposed in Imrali Prison is crucial for achieving social peace. The report concluded by stressing the urgent need for comprehensive, human rights-based reforms in both the prison system and broader state institutions.