IHD says health of ill prisoners Direkçi and Karagüzel worsening
The condition of prisoners Semire Direkçi and Muhlise Karagüzel are getting worse, as the IHD underlined in its weekly protests for ill prisoners.
The Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch Prison Commission drew attention to the situation of the sick prisoner Semire Direkçi, who is in Tekirdağ No 2 F Type Prison. A statement for the 444th week of the F sit-in action was made via social media to comply with the resttrictions imposed to counter the coronavirus pandemic.
Referring to the pandemic, IHD member Mehmet Acettin said: "There is a serious risk of collective death for prisoners due to the specific conditions of the jails where measures are not taken."
Emphasizing that the number of coronavirus cases in prisons is increasing gradually, Acettin continued: "Two seriously ill inmates, 75-year-old Takiyettin Özkahraman and 76-year-old Ali Boçnak died in Patnos L-Type Prison, the first on 19 September and the second on 23 September.”
Speaking about ill prisoner Semire Direkçi, who has been in prison for 23 years, Acettin conveyed the letter she sent to them:
“They don't do my surgery because of the pandemic. I have severe pain. They take me to the Training and Research Hospital for my pain. They put double handcuffs on me while taking me there. When they bring me back to prison, they put me in the quarantine room. Since I cannot take care of myself alone, I have a lot of difficulty there. Are you waiting for me to die before actually acting? Listen to our voices."
Semire Direkçi is in Diyarbakır T Type Women's Prison.
ANKARA
In Ankara, the Freedom for Ill Prisoners Initiative made a statement at the Ankara Branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) in the 316th week of their protest. Nuray Çevirmen, member of the IHD Central Executive Board, drew attention to the situation of Muhlise Karagüzel, 57, who is in Kayseri Bünyan Women's Closed Prison. Çevirmen said that Karagüzel has been in prison for about a year and that her condition is very bad. She is not treated and she is subjected to ill-treatment.
Stating that Karagüzel had difficulty in walking, sitting, standing up and breathing, Çevirmen said she suffers from "diabetic, high blood pressure, asthma. Also, she has a herniated disc, and has trouble walking and moving.”
