The Prison Commission of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Hatay Branch prepared a report on the violations of rights in the Yayladağı T Type Closed Prison in the city. The report was announced to the general public at a meeting held at the IHD Hatay Branch office on Friday.

IHD Hatay Branch’s co-chair Mürsel Tonguç Salmanoğlu stated that the association paid a visit to the prison upon the application of three Afrin prisoners named İ.M., İ.M. and F.K. and prepared a report based on the statements of the three inmates. He reported that İ.M. was detained and tortured by FSA members in Afrin in 2018, and then handed over to Turkey, where he was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment three times. Salmanoğlu added that İ.M. was subjected to torture in Hatay and was forced to sign the statement taken under torture.

'MARKS OF TORTURE STILL ON OUR BODIES'

Salmanoğlu quoted İ.M.as stating the following:

“A total of 11 people were unjustly detained by FSA members over an incident and accusation that we had nothing to do with. We were subjected to heavy torture. Marks of torture are still on our bodies. Doctors did not give any torture reports and did not examine us. We did not take any action against Turkey. We are not members of an organization. We did not join any organization in our life. It was the members of the FSA who detained us in Syria, then brought us to Turkey and tortured us with soldiers in a Turkish gendarmerie station. For 3 years and 8 months, we have not been able to inform anyone about the injustice done to us. We can't get any news from our family and talk to them. I'm married and I couldn't see my wife during this period of time. We are not allowed to have phone calls or correspondence with our family. We are completely left to our own fate. Please make our voices heard to the whole world. Let human rights defenders hear and spread our voices. Let them meet with us. It is an injustice done to us.”