Inmates in a prison in western Turkey’s Kütahya province have limited access to water, the Bold Medya news website reported.
The Parmakören T-type prison, a newly built prison complex, provides running water for only two hours a day. Families have expressed outrage, saying inmates are unable to shower, clean their cells, use the toilet or even wash their dishes. “Prison authorities need to find an immediate solution to this problem,” said S.K., a relative of one inmate.
The prison, which holds 1,500 inmates, is not connected to the city water supply, and two wells, which are its only water supply, have nearly dried up. According to prisoners’ families, there are still no attempts to connect the prison to the city water supply.
Several inmates who protested the lack of water were allegedly beaten by prison guards.
Prison conditions in Turkey have been the subject of criticism for years. Activists and opposition politicians have put the issues of lack of hygiene, overcrowding, lack of food and severe mistreatment on the agenda. However, the Turkish government have not responded to these problems or offered solutions.
The World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) said in a briefing that prison conditions in Turkey were substandard and that increasing incarceration rates have exacerbated problems such as ill-treatment and medical neglect. While Turkey’s incarceration rate grew by 89.3 percent between 2011 and 2021, it has become one of five countries in the Council of Europe with the highest rates of suicides in prison.
