AKP's 'huge investment' in Van: prison costing 10 million euro

AKP government building new multi-million prison in Van.

The AKP government had promised subways, stadiums, a ring road and a coastal road. Instead, it is building one of Turkey's largest city prisons. Although there are already T, F, M L type and open prisons in Van, the Ministry of Justice laid the foundations of a new prison costing 90 million Turkish Lira (over 10 million euro) in Erciş district.

Van Governor M. Emin Bilmez, AK Party Deputies Abdulahalat Arvas and Erciş District Governor together visited the construction site of the new prison and described the features of the prison to be built.

It is stated that the investment cost for the T Type Open and Closed Prison in Erciş is 90 million TL. The prison, which will be built on an area of 64 thousand square meters, will have a capacity of 500 people in the open section and 760 people in the closed section.

HDP Van Provincial co-chair Ökkeş Kava emphasized that it was a tragicomic situation to present the prison as if it was a great investment for the people of Van and said: "Especially during the AKP government, prisons were built as complexes in Kurdish cities. Now they are building a new prison in Van despite the presence of F, T, L and M type prisons in the city. If jobs were provided for our people, our youth will not die in construction sites and racist attacks in the west. But the AKP sees prisons for the Kurds as good. They explain these as a service to our people.”

Instead of eliminating the reasons for which people commit crimes, said Kaya, “this government is building more prisons. Instead of creating opportunities which will help lowering the crime rate, as other democratic countries do, this government is considering our people as potential criminals. Therefore, prisons will continue to increase during the AKP rule."