Prisoners in Antalya S Type Closed Prison denounce torture

Prisoners sent from Antalya L Type Closed Prison to S Type Closed Prison were tortured because they refused to be strip searched.

Prisoners sent from Antalya L Type Closed Prison to the newly built S Type Closed Prison were tortured because they refused to be strip searched. Islam Erdoğan, one of the transferred prisoners, shared the details of the torture in the weekly visit with his family.

He said that many detainees were subjected to inhumane practices and added: “We call on people to to be alert. If you don't listen to our voices, anything can happen to us at any time. The prison administration openly tells us we can't speak Kurdish, only Turkish. I am Kurdish and will speak Kurdish. If something happens to my friends, the authorities are responsible. My friends are not with me and I am not in contact with them at the moment. They tortured us. We have not bowed to them, and we never will."

Erdoğan added: “The situation here is not good and they are openly attacking us. They are provoking us. They attacked us. We are subjected to inhumane practices. There is torture in Antalya L type closed prison. Our situation is not good and we are in danger. They attacked our sick prisoner friend. As a result of the attack, our friend fainted and fell to the ground. 10 people attacked me and broke my arm and leg. I have been beaten in the head and I have problems opening my eyes.”

Erdoğan continued: “A friend of mine has a broken back. Despite this, they did not take me to the doctor and I was not given a report of assault. They tied our hands in reverse handcuffs and dragged us to the ground. There are 3 people in the cell. There are no beds in these cells. We will not be able to protect ourselves if they attack us. They raid and search the cell every day. We are being strip searched. We do not accept these impositions and we will not bow down. They took everything from us. Our call to all human rights defenders is to be our voice. There is torture here, we are afraid for our lives.”