Prisoners of Turkey on hunger strike for Kurdish rights and freedom for Abdullah Öcalan have been subjected to solitary confinement by authorities.
The severe punitive measure was revealed by Feyyaz Başak, a political prisoner in Elazığ (Xarpêt) No. 2 High Security Prison, who told family during a visit that inmates on hunger strike had been placed in solitary confinement.
The drastic protest action began on 27 November to draw attention to the prolonged isolated detention of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan on a Turkish prison island. Now in its 109th day, prisoners are determined to maintain the strike until Öcalan is released, an outcome viewed as a vital step towards a peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue.
Prisoners are known to have consistently faced severe rights violations due to participation in the hunger strike, including both the practice of being held solitary for sustained periods and restrictions on communication.
“Prisoners on hunger strike are given ‘communication’ penalties and placed in solitary confinement for a month, deprived of access to newspapers, television, radio and even books,” Başak told family.
He also noted the prison administration’s failure to respond to petitions and the seizure of letters to human rights organisations, urging lawyers, lawmakers, civil society and human rights groups to pay attention to the human rights abuses and visit the prison for inspection.
Meanwhile, inmates at Diyarbakir (Amed) No. 2 High Security Prison reported that raids on their cells were accompanied by demeaning “stand-sit” commands and demands to remove footwear. These revelations came from prisoners’ discussions with their families on 6 March, indicating a climate of intimidation within the facility. Members of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Diyarbakir Branch Prison Commission visited the prison following appeals from families.
During these cell raids, supposedly conducted under the guise of searches, guards not only scattered inmates’ possessions but also subjected them to humiliating orders to “stand up, sit down,” “spread your arms,” and “take off your shoes”. It was also shared that threats were made against the prisoners once surveillance cameras were turned off.
Lawyers from ÖHD reported that books provided to the inmates were confiscated during these inspections, along with notebooks containing personal writings and story drafts. Inmates serving aggravated life sentences and held in solitary confinement experienced physical interventions and were unlawfully forced to lie on the ground for extended periods during these searches, highlighting a disturbing disregard for legal norms and human dignity.
