MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – Since the first Covid-19 case was recorded in Turkey on March 11, 2020, many rules have been practiced in prisons for “security”. Although two years have passed, the normalized life outside has still not been reflected in the prisons. The ban on contact visits was lifted in December but sick prisoners are still kept in quarantine for 15 or 20 days when they are transferred from hospitals to prisons. While this practice affects sick prisoners, most sick prisoners don’t go to the hospital due to the quarantine.

6 prisoners died in two months

Since December, six prisoners, including five sick prisoners and Garibe Gezer, who died suspiciously, have lost their lives in prison. According to the data of the Human Rights Association (İHD), there are currently 1,605 sick prisoners in jail, 604 of them being seriously sick. Relatives of sick prisoners have held “the Justice Watch protest” in Amed and Van provinces to make the voices of sick prisoners heard.

“He spends days alone in quarantine”

The relatives of sick prisoners demand the quarantine period be arranged in a way that does not affect the sick prisoners. Necime Yaşaer’s son and husband are in prison. She told us that her husband is often transferred to a hospital because of his illness. “My husband is sick and he is often transferred to a hospital due to his illness. He is kept in quarantine for 15 or 20 days when he is transferred back to prison. After being kept in quarantine, he is transferred to the hospital again. He spent eight months in quarantine,” Necime Yaşaer told JINHA.

“No one can accept what is going on in prisons”

Underlining that her husband doesn’t want to be kept in quarantine because he cannot meet his basic needs in quarantine, Necime Yaşaer said, “He doesn’t want to go to the hospital anymore. My son is held in prison in Antep while my husband is held in prison in Trabzon. I cannot visit them because the two cities are far away from each other. We demand justice for our relatives. No one can accept what is going on in prisons.”

“Apply the law”

İnci Güler Altındağ is one of the relatives of the sick prisoners. She has joined the protest for two months. She criticizes the silence of the government against their demand. Emphasizing that the quarantine period turns into torture for sick prisoners, İnci Güler Altındağ said, “Seriously sick prisoners should be released. They are transferred to hospitals but they feel worse because they are kept in quarantine for 20 days. The sick prisoners don’t want to go to the hospital due to the quarantine. We call on everyone to be in solidarity with sick prisoners. Authorities should apply the law to end this injustice.”