ANKARA –  HDP Co-Vice Chair Ümit Dede drawing attention to the risk of spreading coronavirus in prisons, made a call to the Minister of Justice and said: "Old and sick prisoners must be released and the sentences of old and sick convicts must be reprieved."

 

Dede said: "People have to use the same narrow space, use the same toilets and items. We invite the Ministry of Justice to take action."

 

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Law and Human Rights Commission held a press conference at the party headquarters regarding the dimensions coronavirus (Kovid-19) reached and the risk this poses to prisons.

 

Dede said: "It is not necessary to have a medical knowledge. It is possible to understand the extent of the danger we face and what we need to do in order not to spread the coronavirus in the world. It is not possible to take precautions without considering the prisons with the poorest living conditions. Predicting that the virus will spread rapidly in case of infection in prisons is pretty obvious.  More people are forced to use the same space, toilets and items in a narrow space.If it spreads in prisons, deaths will occur especially in elderly and sick prisoners. In order not to go thorugh that, we invite the Minister of Justice to take action immediately or the resposibility will the theirs if deaths occur. We state that these demands must be implemented immediately."