According to the IHD, 63 people have died in Turkish prisons this year. The human rights association discusses with other actors in Amed about possibilities for action for prisoners' rights.
The Human Rights Association (IHD), together with civil society organisations, held a conference in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) on Saturday on the topic of "Prisons and Judicial Proceedings". Representatives of the Medical Association, the Health and Social Workers' Union (SES), the MEBYA-DER Solidarity Association for Families of Martyrs, the prisoners’ aid organisation TUHAY-DER and the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) took part in the event in a hotel in the Kurdish metropolis. Abdullah Zeytun, Chairperson of the IHD Amed branch, stated in the welcome address that new ways and methods on the issue of human rights should be discussed in order to expand the possibilities for action.
63 PRISONERS DIED IN TEN MONTHS
Recalling the "Human Rights Action Plan" announced by the Ministry of Justice in March 2021, Zeytun said: "Turkey is a country under the political supervision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). This oversight is also marked by violations. For this reason, our programme will address the violations within the discussion topic and the lack of mechanisms to remedy them."
Lawyer Zeytun explained that, according to the IHD Prison Commission report, at least 63 prisoners have died in Turkey in 2022 and there are many more prisoners whose right to life is being violated. "This data shows how inadequate the Human Rights Action Plan is. Since the publication of this plan, an increase in violations has been observed. Especially in prisons, we are seeing that the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have become the systematic norm. In particular, the newly built high-security prisons lead to continued isolation," said Abdullah Zeytun.
The "Human Rights Action Plan" consists of a series of false proposals and promises, Zeytun noted, adding, "Instead of a solution to the problems, we see that freedom of expression and freedom of thought are being restricted. There is no longer 'zero tolerance' for torture and ill-treatment. Therefore, I want to express that these practices in Turkey can only be changed and transformed through the struggle for human rights."
