The pressure and rights violations against prisoners in prisons continue to increase day by day. Cihan Gökalp, a prisoner in Erzurum Dumlu Closed Prison No 2, informed his family about the violations of their rights via telephone. Gökalp stated that they have no life safety and called for their voices to be heard. 

 

Stating that the architecture of Erzurum Dumlu Prison is designed in accordance with the conditions of isolation, Gökalp said: "This prison was specially built for political prisoners. Apart from its architecture, the prison administration has policies on the prisoners inside. All our friends here have problems with the prison administration. Negotiations were held with the prison administration to improve the conditions, to soften them and to reduce them to humanitarian conditions. However, the prison administration did not take any steps."

 

Stressed that there is psychological torture on political prisoners and that these policies are carried out in a systematic way, Gökalp said that the guards approach them with hostility and tyr to turn the prison into a military area. Gökalp stated that the prison administration confiscated their books and cargo sent to them by their families. 

 

Gökalp stated that they were not reffered to hospitals and when they referred they refused the treatments and returned back due to the imposition of handcuffed examination. Gökalp said: "Despite the Ministry of Justice's 1.5-hour open visit decision that must be implemented in all prisons, this decision is not implemented here. Our complaints are left unanswered with various excuses or security reasons are given as an excuse. These investigations are opened because of our identity. Fear policies are being carried out and it gives them great pleasure to continue these policies."

 

'THE PRISON DIRECTOR IS RESPONSIBLE'

 

Calling for an end to the oppression policies, Gökalp said the following: "I appeal to human right associations, bar associations and the free press; we need to make our voices heard in order to end the isolation conditions here and to have humane living conditions. If something happens to one of our friends here, the prison administration is responsible for it and the first degree responsible is the prison director Mustafa Akay. We inform this to the whole public opinion."

 

Erzurum Dumlu Prison administration, whom we called about the allegations, said: "We cannot give an answer. If you have a complaint, please contact the courthouse or prosecutor's office."