New regulations for sick prisoners issued by Turkey’s Justice Ministry on Monday were a “first step” towards a solution against rights violations, however, it was not enough to resolve the issue, the Human Rights Association (İHD) said on Wednesday.
“The Justice Ministry’s new bylaws are the first step in solving the problems experienced by sick prisoners, but other legal arrangements are still needed to solve the issue permanently,” the association said.
On 2 January, the General Directorate of Criminal Affairs of the Justice Ministry introduced new criteria regarding the mitigation or removal of sentences of individuals due to permanent illness, disability or old age.
With this new regulation, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office can now initiate proceedings without the request of the prisoners or their legal representatives. This update will make it easier for watchdogs such as the İHD to monitor all prisons, as they can now act independently, the association said.
The İHD will be able to generate a more comprehensive list of prisoners with health conditions or who cannot stay in prison due to disability or old age, and petition chief public prosecutors’ offices for their release.
Another change is in the type of report to be obtained from Turkey’s forensic medicine institutes. Previously, the institutes would issue rulings on whether the prisoner was fit to serve time. With the new regulations, the reports will merely state whether they have a qualifying condition or not.
The İHD said that political prisoners should not be discriminated against and that they will monitor the implementation of the new bylaws regarding the treatment of sick prisoners.
Turkey saw 76 prisoners die behind bars in 2022, a study by the İHD found. Thirty-five of the prisoners died due to health conditions and complications.
