While the Turkish government has been working on controversial draft amendments to the Criminal Law as part of measures to counter Covid-19, which does not include political prisoners, a fire has broken out in the M-Type Closed Prison in Batman province in North Kurdistan Saturday evening.

Video footage circulated on social media show a number of fire brigade and ambulances dispatched to the prison. Video recordings show smoke rising, loud shouts from the prison suggest a riot.

Worried relatives of prisoners are waiting outside the building while lawyers who rushed to the scene are not allowed to enter the prison.

Co-mayor of Batman, Mehmet Demir, who was recently deposed and replaced by a trustee, tweeted the following; “Fire in Batman prison! In the prison, inmates are protesting against the bill that excludes political prisoners. Lawyers are not allowed in. We're waiting outside the prison under great tension."

According to the local branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), lawyers are denied access to the prison and the access road has been sealed off. The IHD demanded an immediate response from the authorities.

According to the Batman Bar Association, the fire broke out in the section where ordinary prisoners are staying.

The Justice Commission in the Turkish National Assembly today adopted a draft bill by the AKP/MHP government coalition to amend the Penal Code. The amendment, called the "Corona Amnesty", could free 90,000 prisoners. The draft has met with widespread criticism at home and abroad because political prisoners are excluded from the measure.