Human rights defender and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has posed a parliamentary question to the justice minister about allegations of mistreatment in Elmalı Prison in Antalya province.
In a tweet Gergerlioğlu said the allegations included insults and slurs against inmates, searches in wards by guards in riot gear and the confiscation of some personal items.
Antalya Elmalı cezaevi için iddialar!@adalet_bakanlik
açıklamanız?
"ağır içerikli hakaretler,zamansız robocop denilen gardiyanlarla aramalar, kişisel eşyalarımızı yerlere atıp sonra da bunlar buraya uygun değil deyip el koymalar,sayımlara yarım saat önce gelerek hakaret etme"
— Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu (@gergerliogluof) August 2, 2021
Speaking to the Artı Gerçek news website, Gergerlioğlu said the inmates have been experiencing psychological pressure and other types of mistreatment for the past two months following the arrival of a new warden.
According to Gergerlioğlu, the family of an inmate told him the mistreatment can be seen if the CCTV footage from July 28 between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. is checked.
Allegations about mistreatment in Elmalı Prison were also highlighted by journalist Berna Kavaklı on Twitter yesterday.
Elmalı T tipi cezaevinde, cezaevi müdürünün değişmesiyle birlikte tutuklu ve hükümlülere karşı;
Kaba dayak, hakaret, tehdit, küfür gibi kabul edilmeyecek işkenceye varan hak ihlalleri yaşandığı iddiaları var maalesef.— Berna Kavaklı (@bernaakavakli) August 1, 2021
“Unfortunately there are allegations of battery, insult, intimidation and other rights violations,” she said.
Gergerlioğu said the ministry does not take the necessary steps to address the problems in prisons even when they are documented by parliament’s Human Rights Committee during their field visits.
