Prisoner has phone call with his mother cut off because she spoke Kurdish
Medine Kaymaz, the mother of Bayram Kaymaz, who is a prisoner in Tekirdağ F Type Closed Prison, said that her phone call with her son was cut off when she spoke Kurdish.
Bayram Kaymaz, who has been a prisoner for 30 years in Tekirdağ F Type Closed Prison, spoke to his mother Medine Kaymaz (82) on the phone on 2 August. Kaymaz explained the rights violations experienced in the prison in the phone call. He told his mother that prisoners who speak Kurdish are given punishments such as investigation and communication bans.
Medine Kaymaz said: "There is a de facto ban on Kurdish. They do not even allow prisoners to read magazines and books. My son said, 'We are even prevented from reading books.' Their wards are raided in the middle of the night and everywhere is turned into a mess. There is a great policy of cruelty towards prisoners in prisons."
Stating that the phone call was cut off before the time was up, Medine Kaymaz said that the call was abruptly interrupted because they were speaking Kurdish.
Medine Kaymaz said: "Whenever the prison administration wants, prisoners can call their families. An investigation is being launched against prisoners who speak Kurdish in prison. The same pressures on Kurdish and Kurds outside are also being applied inside. The prison director is the main person responsible for all these violations. The prison director is responsible for any problems that may arise to prisoners."
Protest against isolation
Medine Kaymaz said that she has been fighting for peace for a quarter of a century as a Peace Mother and said the following: "We have fought for people to live freely, for injustices to end, and for prisoners to be released. But now everything is getting worse. Prisoners who have been in jail for 30 years are being forced to show regret. What should they regret after 30 years? They have spent their lives in prison, even if our children regret it at this point, we will not accept it. We stand behind our children. We will not give up on their struggle. These policies will not benefit anyone, they will lose."
Medine Kaymaz added: "We expect more support from the public. Abdullah Öcalan has been held on a prison island for years. The biggest reason for the violations against our children is the isolation policy in Imrali. Despite this cruelty and torture, our struggle against isolation will continue under all circumstances."
