Mesopotamia Federation of Legal and Solidarity Associations with Prisoner’s Families (MED TUHAD-FED), Free Lawyers Association (ÖHD) and Amed Solidarity with Prisoners’ Families Association (TUAY-DER) held a press conference on rights violations in Elazığ High Security Prison No 2.

 

Speaking at the press conference MED TUHAD-FED co-chair Mehmet Temizyüz said that they met with the prisoners on 7 August. Temizyüz added: “With this report we established that torture and ill-treatment, which has been continuing and systemic since the opening of Elazığ High Security Prison No 2, found new violations of rights which will be responded with the necessary legal application and complaints.”

 

Noting that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) published a series of principles regarding prisoners on 20 March 2020, Temizyüz said: "On 25 March 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made a call, and on 6 April 2020, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights issued another call. The common point of these calls was to reduce the number of prisoners and convicts in prisons and to ensure that measures are taken to counter the coronavirus pandemic. The UN Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights demanded the release of political prisoners and convicts who were detained without any justification."

 

The report listed the violations and then the things to be done. Among the violations are continuous harassment and violence against prisoners as well as seizing of prisoners’ books and notebooks and arbitrary punishments.

 

"* Making the necessary legal application and a criminal complaint to end this torture and ill-treatment, which has been experienced in a systematic way in Elazığ No.2 High Security Prison,

 

* Informing relevant national and international institutions about the problems of prisons and making necessary applications,

 

* Making necessary legal applications regarding the disciplinary penalties given,

 

* Making necessary applications for the treatment and improvement of living conditions of ill prisoners and convicts,

 

* It is necessary to send a delegation to the prison to verify among other things that measures to counter the coronavirus pandemic are taken. This delegation should involve civil society organizations and should be led by the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission."