Prisoners are deprived of hot water and heaters and must bathe in cold water, said inmate Nurcan Aslan during her weekly phone call with her family from the Tarsus Closed Prison for women in Mersin, Turkey.
According to JinNews report, oppressive tactics and human rights violations are ongoing in Turkish prisons, with this being only the latest example. Aslan said, “Wards are deprived of hot water due to prison renovations. We are having to bathe with cold water. Some friends cannot even take a bath. The room is too small and the heater is not working, so we use three blankets to protect against the cold. But even this does not work”.
Her family said prisoners had the same difficulties every year and the prison administration is uninterested in finding a solution. Aslan’s family said, “Why are those issues not solved? We believe it is done deliberately. Solutions are not sought for our children. We demand the public hear our children’s voices”.
Hunger strike
On 27 November 2020 political prisoners in Turkey began a hunger strike to protest the isolation policies and rights violations in Turkish prisons. The hunger strike is now on its 67th day.
It has also been reported that prisoners who were on hunger strike have been subjected to mistreatment in several Turkish prisons. Human rights organisations have drawn attention to the seriousness of the strikes, which are being held under pandemic conditions, and called on authorities to resolve the issue. The strike has so far spread to more than 107 prisons in Turkey.
