A 70-year-old inmate in Turkey’s Tokat province has gone blind in his left eye after being denied treatment for cataracts, the Mezopotamya news agency (MA) reported.
Inmate Ömer Yaman told his lawyers that he had not received any medical treatment for the past six months, which ultimately led to the loss of vision in his left eye. He explained that he refused to undergo oral cavity searches, which is a practice that has become a condition for hospital referrals over the past year in Tokat Prison.
Under current prison policies, inmates who do not comply with this invasive procedure are denied access to healthcare services and subjected to disciplinary penalties by the prison administration.
The ailing man added that he suffered from several chronic illnesses, including hypertension and glaucoma, and that his condition was deteriorating with each passing day.
Cavity searches of inmates who need hospital visits have become common practice in Turkish prisons. Inmates have complained that they’ve been refused treatment for even the most serious diseases for refusing to comply with humiliating body searches. Some have reported being physically assaulted by guards during searches, and several women have said they were searched by male guards.
Turkish authorities have frequently been criticized for their systematic disregard of the health needs of prisoners. Every year rights groups report the death of dozens of sick prisoners, either while behind bars or shortly after their release, which often comes at the end-stage of their illness. Turkey recorded 709 deaths in prison in the first 11 months of 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Justice shared in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
