MERSİN - A report on rights violations at Tarsus Prison Complex, prepared by the İHD, ÖHD and TUHAY-DER, states that “the lives of ill prisoners have been made unbearable, prisoners with serious chronic illnesses have not been provided with adequate living and treatment conditions, and their right to access healthcare has been violated.”

 

The Mersin branches of the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), and the Çukurova Association for Solidarity with Families of Prisoners and Convicts (TUHAY-DER) released their “January–June 2026” report on rights violations at Tarsus Prison Complex. Nurgül Elveren, a member of the İHD Mersin Prison Commission, shared details of the report at the İHD branch office.

 

RELEASE OF 8 PRISONERS POSTPONED

 

Nurgül Elverdi said that the release of eight prisoners held at Tarsus Prison Complex, L.K., B.K., K.E., S.F., H.A., A.T., İ.A. and A.Z., had been unjustly postponed for six months by the prison administration through disciplinary penalties. During a visit to the prison, a prisoner who wished to remain anonymous also shared their observations regarding the rights violations they had experienced. Nurgül Elveren said there were serious indications that prisoners had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment, denied access to healthcare, had their right to communicate restricted, and faced attempts to prevent them from exercising their right to file complaints through threats and disciplinary measures. Nurgül Elveren said: “The prisoners said they were being punished through all kinds of deprivation of rights. Because prisoners are not allowed to take their clothes and bedding out into the open air or sunlight, these areas are referred to as ‘Prisons Without Sunlight.’ Prisoners have stated that this has adversely affected their health.”

 

‘THE LIVES OF ILL PRISONERS HAVE BEEN MADE UNBEARABLE’

 

Nurgül Elveren said prisoners were subjected to oral cavity searches and examinations while handcuffed, while women prisoners in particular were forced to undergo examinations in the presence of law enforcement officers in a manner that violated their dignity. Nurgül Elveren continued: “This violates prisoners’ right to access healthcare, forcing them to remain in unhealthy prison conditions while their illnesses worsen. This is the situation in all prisons across the region, particularly high-security prisons. The applications made by prisoners and their meetings with lawyers indicate that the right to access healthcare of at least 17 prisoners held at Tarsus Closed Prison has been violated in this manner. It has also been observed that the lives of ill prisoners have been made unbearable, that prisoners with serious chronic illnesses have not been provided with adequate living and treatment conditions, and that their right to access healthcare has been violated.”

 

‘PRISONERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH INADEQUATE FOOD’

 

Nurgül Elveren said that prisoners were provided with insufficient food and that the meals were often unfit to eat. She said: “It has been observed that prisoners’ nutritional needs are not being met, canteen prices are excessively high, and prison guards fail to comply with hygiene standards.”

 

‘KURDISH-LANGUAGE LETTERS NOT DELIVERED’

 

Nurgül Elveren said prisoners’ requests to be transferred to prisons in the provinces where their families live were not being granted, adding: “It was observed that the right to respect for family life was being violated. Prisoners’ requests to change wards were likewise denied by prison administrations without justification. Educational and cultural activities had been suspended; access to books, magazines and newspapers was restricted; and prisoners’ rights to communicate by letter and telephone were being violated. It was also observed that letters written in Kurdish were not being delivered.”

 

‘WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION’

 

Nurgül Elveren said the rights violations highlighted in previous prison reports were continuing to escalate, adding: “As human rights defenders, we call on the Ministry of Justice, the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, Provincial Human Rights Units, Prison Monitoring Boards, judicial authorities, political parties, human rights organizations and other relevant bodies to take the necessary steps to ensure a dignified and humane life in all prisons across our region. We demand an end to the rights violations identified, including the arbitrary extension of prisoners’ sentences, violations of the right to access healthcare, torture and ill-treatment. We will continue to closely monitor developments.”