HRD, Victim Laborers Platform and the Victim Educators Platform submitted a joint stakeholder report on Turkey’s Universal Periodic Review, going to be held on the 35th Session in January 2020 with the title “Suspicious Deaths, Ill-Treatment And Conditions In Turkish Prisons”
This report, based on the data embedded in various reports on human right violations and victims’ statements in media reports and documentations, describe a general view of such violations and conditions in Turkish prisons and provide a background analysis of the problem. It also underlines the discrimination of inmates in the correctional system.
We explained and gave an overview of methods of torture and ill-treatment and no-complain policy in the Turkish prisons, as well as of the scheme of insult, humiliation, threats, and threats with relatives; coercive actions; sexual harassments. Furthermore, we took a closer look to the suspicious deaths in prisons and the circumstances of the reasons for these deaths.
It is difficult to determine the actual extent of human right violations with all their variations and frequencies as there is no transparency in governance. The result of investigations of individual ill-treatment cases are not shared publicly by authorities. Questions, even those asked in Turkish parliament by its members, remain unanswered. Prisons hardly open their doors for impartial and independent visits for a full range inspection.
Various forms of ill-treatment have been conducted systematically, covering all issues around inmates and their visitors within the parameters of almost all prisons where terrorism related convicts or pre-trail detainees are being held. There is no national mechanism to effectively prevent and investigate these violations.
Turkey should be strongly urged to establish adequate prison conditions as well as prevention and control mechanisms of ill-treatment according to international standards. Country visits by international organizations and bilateral diplomatic engagements are necessary to ensure that the government comply with its responsibilities emanating from international treaties and regulations.
For the report please follow this link.