Erciş District Municipal council members Nuri Cicek and Mecit Sariturgut were attacked by prison guards in Van T Type Prison. Chanting “fascism has come” a group of prison guards beat Cicek and Sargut as the two were in their cell.

Sargut suffered broken bones in his face and Cicek was seriously hurt with severe blows to his body. 

The details of the attack were available only after Cicek’s family visited him in prison. Cicek told his family that several other prisoners were also attacked and some of them were seriously hurt.

According to Cicek’s family the prisoners were denied treatment outside of prison.

After the incident Cicek was transferred to Van High Security Prison. Sargut remained in Van T Type Prison but still he received no treatment for the broken bones in his face.

There are reports of random beatings and arbitrary discipline actions in Turkish prisons in recent weeks.

Recently female prisoners in Tarsus T Type Prison started a hunger strike to protest ill treatment by prison guards.