Inmates in several prisons across Turkey’s southern Gaziantep province have been enduring poor conditions, including a lack of hot water and unsanitary facilities, according to Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a deputy from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who raised the issue in a recent parliamentary speech.
Gergerlioğlu said he visited both maximum and minimum-security prisons last week and described the conditions as dire. He noted that a large number of young students are currently being held in the maximum-security facility, following a sweeping operation in early May targeting alleged members of the faith-based Gülen movement. The operation resulted in the arrest of 77 people, most of whom were students.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and a conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan began to target the movement’s members. He designated the movement as a terrorist organization in May 2016 and intensified the crackdown on it following the abortive putsch that he accused Gülen of masterminding. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
“Some of these students were preparing for the university entrance exam, which was held two weeks ago, and had to take it inside a prison room,” Gergerlioğlu said. “However, the guards were loud and even played music during the exam, making it difficult for many of them to concentrate.”
He added that the inmates appeared deeply demoralized, particularly due to overcrowding, excessive heat and a lack of proper ventilation within the prison.
Moreover, the maximum-security prison had restricted warm water, and with summer temperatures reaching up to 40°C (104°F) in Gaziantep, this made it difficult for inmates to regularly shower and maintain proper hygiene.
Several weeks ago, raw sewage overflowed in the prison, further worsening the conditions.
