ŞIRNEX – Prisoners held in Şırnak T-Type Closed Prison are reportedly being denied hospital transfers for rejecting an arbitrary “slipper requirement” imposed by prison authorities and gendarmerie officers.

 

According to a letter sent by Salih Turan, an ill prisoner in Şırnak T-Type Prison, violations and ill-treatment continue within the facility. Turan stated that despite suffering from several chronic health conditions, his requests for hospital transfer have been ignored for a full year.

 

Turan said that even when transfer approvals are granted, prisoners are prevented from being taken to hospitals if they refuse to wear slippers instead of their own shoes — a practice he described as humiliating and coercive. He noted that he had been denied hospital transfer twice for rejecting this demand and held the gendarmerie responsible for any further deterioration in his health.

 

Declaring that they would not accept such arbitrary and degrading practices, Turan called on the public and human rights organizations to raise their voices against ongoing rights violations in Turkish prisons.

 

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT 

 

Through his lawyer, Turan has filed a criminal complaint against the prison administration and the responsible gendarmerie officers. Reports indicate that many other prisoners in the same facility are also being denied medical access for refusing the slipper imposition.