Zilan Aldatmaz, who is arrested co-mayor of Saray district of Turkey’s Van province, was reportedly tortured by the prison guardians in Elazığ T Type Prison, according to the remarks by her lawyer Resul Aslan.
Aldatmaz was jailed on November 1, 2016 after getting dismissed and replaced by a government-appointed trustee. According to pro-Kurdish news sources, lawyer Aslan has stated that a debate occurred when the guards entered the ward and called the prisoners to line up to be counted but some prisoners on the higher floor didn’t follow suit instantly.
Aslan told that a prisoner didn’t descend and the guardians threatened her by saying “We have our means to get you down” and started to attack the prisoners. The lawyer stated that 40 guards entered the ward and attacked the prisoners, of whom those protecting themselves from the attacks were targeted violently.
Lawyer Aslan has stated that his client Aldatmaz was particularly targeted during the attack, and said: “Because the guards threw my client down the stairway, she was injured by her left arm and her left ring finger was broken. Her whole body got covered in black and blue bruises.”
Aslan has also stated that the guards charged Aldatmaz and the other female prisoners under the pretext of having caused ‘obstruction’, and denied her medical treatment. The lawyer stated that following the incident that happened 2 weeks ago, the female prisoners started hunger strikes in reaction to the increased attacks in the prisons.
According to a striking report released by Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) on Mach 22, 2017 with the title of “Suspicious Deaths And Suicides In Turkey” there has been an increase in the number of suicides and suspicious deaths in Turkey, most in Turkish jails and detention centers where a torture and ill-treatment is being practiced.
