Civan Boltan, 28-year-old son of journalist Hakkı Boltan, has been in prison for 8 years.
Hakkı Boltan talked to Özgür Politika about his son Civan Boltan. ”He was thought to be dead. When it is understood that he is alive, he is then subjected to torture with serious injuries and has to wear plaster casts. After five days of hospital, he is given aggravated life and 78 years of imprisonment”. Civan has been in prison since he was 20 years old.
Civan Boltan was seriously injured in armed clash with Turkish soldiers in Bingöl (Çewlik), he was thought to be “dead” but it is understood that he is alive at the hospital. He has lost his right arm, his left eye cannot see. Civan has been given a heavy life sentence and 78 years of imprisonment.
Civan Boltan, who has been in prison for 8 years, is 28 years old now. He has been in active in politics since his childhood. His father, journalist Hakkı Boltan also has been arrested and imprisoned many times.
Civan Boltan was first imprisoned when he was 16. During the time when Prime Minister, Recep T. Erdogan visited Diyarbakır (Amed) on October 20, 2008, he was arrested due to “throwing of stones at the police”. When he was released after 6 months of imprisonment, he was tried again at the Juvenile High Criminal Court, demanding 23 years of imprisonment.
After he was released from prison that time, he worked in the media with a colleague Mazlum Erenci (Yılmaz Piling) who had a huge influence on Civan,” said his father Boltan, adding that his son joined the guerrilla a few days after Mazlum’s death in 2011.’’
Stating that his son was injured in a clash in Bingöl (Çewlik) a year later, his father Boltan says, “We were first told that he had died, but then we found out that he was actually alive and in the hospital” and he then explains what happened on that day:
“Civan was injured after a 3-day armed clash on 24 April 2012. They were four friends, one friend was injured and the other two friends were martyred (died). Civan breaks his own gun and jumps off a cliff because he had ran out of bullets, he then detonated a hand grenade on himself. That’s why they told us that he died at first. Since the soldiers thought he was dead, his body was placed in a body bag and the bag was sent to Bingöl (Çewlik). It was only then, that it was noticed that there were signs of life and that he was actually still alive and then his emergency treatment was started.’’
Stating that his son was then subjected to torture in the hospital, after it was found out that he was alive, Boltan continues as follows:
“The prosecutor, who investigated the scene, told Civan’s mother that “An arm was broken, there were many pieces of shrapnel lodged in his body, but there was no trace of beating on his face.”
However, when it was found out that he was actually alive, the soldiers or guards beat him again, in the hospital, causing him to lose his eye,’’ he said.
Explaining that he was sent to prison after completing his emergency treatment within 5 days despite the severe injuries of Civan, Boltan explains those days as follows:
“They said, “If you give us the answers we want, we will help you” in the hospital. Refusing this ‘offer’, the pressures did not end in the hospital. They tried to kidnap Civan on the way [to court]. Thanks to İdris Baluken, who was the HDP Deputy of Çewlik at the time, and the press, we prevented him from being kidnapped. I myself was detained several times until we reached Diyarbakır (Amed). They then took Civan to court in a wheelchair with his whole body bandaged. He was missing an arm, he was in a plaster cast because he broke his other arm due to torture. We were able to see Civan in court for the first time after he was injured in the conflict. He was then arrested and sent to the prison in Diyarbakir (Amed). ”
Civan was sentenced for “being a member of an organisation” in his third hearing and the decision was upheld. While his father Boltan expressed his reaction by saying, ‘They give punishments more than the length of a human life by giving both a heavy life sentence and 78 years”, Boltan explains that an even more difficult process started in the Bolu prison where he was taken in 2016.
ECHR verdict
He was placed in a solitary cell in Bolu. We objected to this situation by applying to the ECHR. The ECHR determined this process as torture and decided that a prisoner with such serious injuries sould not be left alone. Father Boltan continues as follows: “Then three people shared a room. His friends help with cleaning and changing his clothes. He still has large pieces of shrapnel in many parts of his body, which creates a great risk, especially in his head. Surgery cannot done because of high life risk.
Medical treatment is blocked
Doctors say he should not stay in a cold place because of blood sickness. Bolu prison is a very cold and the cold weather is life threatening for him. Doctors says that “blood disease will recover after the age of 35″, he added ‘’They give irrelevant responses to all our applications for a referral.’’
Stressing that Civan’s morale is very high despite everything, Boltan said, “Despite all his health problems, he embraces life with all his hands. He learned to play the saz with one hand and is now trying to learn how to play the violin. His devotion and love of life, gives us morale.”
”We will have to be their voices.”
Underlining that the pressure has increased on prisoners since the hunger strikes in prisons, Boltan adds: The demands of the hunger strikers are our demands. Any silence will increase the pressure on the prisoners. We will be their voice as their family. We will announce their demands and actions everywhere. ”
