VAN - HDP, ÖHD and İHD representatives, who visited Van, Iğdır and Ağrı prisons, stated that ill prisoners were left for dead and said, "The persecution in the prison shows us what kind of country Turkey is."

The delegation composed of the representatives of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Law and Human Rights Commission, the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and the Human Rights Association (İHD) made a statement at the Van Bar Association regarding their meetings in Van, Iğdır and Ağrı prisons. The delegation, including HDP MPs Oya Ersoy, Abdullah Koç, Fatma Kurtulan, Hüseyin Kaçmaz and Muazzez Orhan, ÖHD Headquarters Manager lawyer Cahit Ertan and İHD Central Executive Board (MYK) member Hamdi Bayhan, made its first visit to Van, where violations of rights are skyrocketing in the Van High Security Prison. The request of the delegation, which wanted to meet with the prison administration, was rejected.

VISIT OF THE BAR AND THE JUSTICE WATCH

The delegation left the prison and continued its contacts by visiting the Van Bar Association. Members of the Board of Directors of the Bar Association welcomed the delegation. After the visit, which was closed to the press, the delegation visited the families who have been on a sit-in in Van Bar Association for 118 days. The delegation then made a press statement regarding their two-day visit with the families staging the sit-in.

'WE HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT HAPPENED'

Making a statement on behalf of the delegation, HDP member Kurtulan stated that they ended their two-day visit in Van by visiting the families of the Justice Watch. Stating that they started their visit with the Iğdır Type S Prison, where violations of rights are most severe, Kurtulan said, "Then we moved on to Patnos Type L Prison. We wanted to meet with the relevant prosecutor and the prison administration, but they rejected us without giving any reason. In Iğdır, we managed to speak to the administration. There is a state of torture in Patnos. We heard about the torture from the prisoners. This was confirmed during the visits of our lawyers. We know what's going on."

'TORTURED TO DEATH'

Stating that the prison problem in Turkey has now reached the level of gangrene, Kurtulan said, “The prisoners are in a great struggle in prisons. The state has declared war on the prisoners. We know that there are cases of death caused by torture. Although the relevant institutions say that there was no torture related to the case in Silivri and that it was a normal death, it is seen in the images that he was tortured to death. There are cases of torture in other places as well.”

'PRISONERS ARE SENT TO DEATH'

Stating that the most serious situation in prisons is the ill prisoners, Kurtulan said, “The ill prisoners do not have access to effective treatment. There are 604 seriously ill prisoners, many of them are left for dead. The prisoners continue to be held in cells alone. The remains of Mehmet Sevinç from Manisa Prison has been found. Had he been treated effectively, had he been brought to his own friends, he might have survived. These prisoners are deliberately left for dead. Examining ill prisoners in handcuffs is the biggest hurdle. Ill prisoners are taken to the hospital months later, and when they face with a handcuffed examination, they refuse treatment. The state is responsible for every death in prison. It is the state that is responsible for all these people. We will not let this go. We will continue to ask about their situation andhold those responsible to account one by one."

AYSEL TUĞLUK'S HEALTH STATUS

Stating the situation of Aysel Tuğluk is critical, and that she was not released despite all the calls, Kurtulan said, “All women's movements call for Aysel Tuğluk to release and her health isn't getting worse day by day. However, they are deaf and blind to this situation. Her friend sharing the same ward with her is crying out loud. Aysel Tuğluk should be released as soon as possible."

IF THERE IS A MEETING WITH ÖCALAN...

Underlining that Turkey continues to go upside down due to isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Kurtulan said: "The isolation has spread to all areas. The reason for the blockage is that Turkey has turned its back on peace. If Turkey opens the gates of İmralı, we know very well that that as a result of the meetings with Mr. Öcalan, Turkey will achieve prosperity in every area of life. The isolation that started in Imrali is directly related to the situation. As HDP, we say that we will focus more on this. If a step is to be taken in the name of democratisation, the first place will be prisons. Prisons are the most important criterion of the situation in Turkey. The persecution in prison shows us what kind of country Turkey is. The action of mothers is meaningful and we support it. We support the release and treatment of ill prisoners before anything happens and their lives are put at further risk.”