Solitary sentence for prisoners whose petitions included the phrase 'Mr. Öcalan' 

2024-01-20 12:02:39


	ANTALYA - 11 political prisoners staying in Antalya Type S Closed Prison were sentenced to 11 days in solitary confinement each because the phrase "Mr. Öcalan" was included in the petitions they sent to the Ministry of Justice to inform the purposes of their actions while starting their hunger strike.

	 

	Political prisoners in prisons in Turkey and Kurdistan have been on a rotating hunger strike for 55 days, demanding "freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish issue." 11 political prisoners staying in Antalya Type S Closed Prison, one of the prisons where the prisoners are on hunger strike, were sentenced to solitary confinement because of the phrase "Mr. Öcalan" in the petitions they sent to the Ministry of Justice to inform them of the purposes of their actions.

	 

	Following the letter they sent to the Ministry of Justice, a disciplinary investigation was initiated by the Prison Disciplinary Board against 11 prisoners on the grounds of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization". As a result of the investigation, the prisoners were sentenced to 11 days in solitary confinement.

	 

	Thereupon, the prisoners applied to Antalya 1st Execution Judgeship, requesting the cancellation of their solitary sentences. The judgeship rejected the application on the grounds that "the convict's action was not an individual action aimed at his own personal problems, and more than one convict started taking turns in the same period..."

	 

	Lawyer Nagehan Avçil, a member of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), said that the action of the prisoners on hunger strike do not constitute a disciplinary offense.

	 

	Pointing out that Type S prisons, which are primarily designed according to the 1 and 3-person room system, are among the prison types where the isolation policy is applied on prisoners, Nagehan Avçil stated that Antalya Type S Closed Prison has been on the agenda for a long time with the rights violations.

	 

	PETITIONS WERE EXAMINED IRREGULARLY

	 

	Stating that the prisoners who went on hunger strike in prison to demand the freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan faced provocations, pressures and punishments, Avçil stated that the petitions sent by the prisoners to the Ministry of Justice, justifying solitary confinement, were examined irregularly by the prison administration.

	 

	Lawyer Avçil also stated that the prisoners' right to defend themselves in Kurdish was prevented during the hearings on objections.

	 

	A COMPLAINT WILL BE FILED TO HSK

	 

	Avçil said: “The decision in question was not made according to the law, but according to the policy of the government. The judgeship cannot expand the provisions of the law according to their ideology. We will file a complaint against the decisions with the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). The hunger strike carried out by political prisoners within the scope of freedom of expression is legitimate. It is the absolute isolation implemented in the illegitimate İmralı Island Prison. Imrali isolation must end as soon as possible."

	 

	MA / Hamdullah Yağız Kesen