A recent visit by the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) to Aydın Prison has revealed severe overcrowding and poor living conditions, highlighting the systemic issues plaguing the country’s penal institutions, the Birgün news website reported.
The TİHEK report states that Aydın Prison, designed for 1,000 inmates, currently houses 1,371.
Due to the overcrowding, some inmates are forced to sleep on the floor. Authorities also converted a workshop situated in the attic with no proper ventilation into a ward. Thirty-seven inmates are housed in this space.
The overcrowding in Turkey’s prisons has been a growing issue since 2005, with prison populations swelling annually. As of April 1, 2024 the number of inmates and convicts stood at 322,780, significantly exceeding the capacity of 295,702 across 403 penal institutions. This includes 45,717 inmates and 277,063 convicts, with 13,561 women and 2,912 children among them. The report stresses that despite an early parole law passed by the Turkish parliament, the prison population rebounded sharply, increasing by 71,679 in just seven months.
The lack of space extends to personal storage, with many inmates unable to store their belongings in the lockers provided. The report also noted that the beds were old and worn out, further exacerbating the discomfort.
TİHEK was established in 2016 by the Turkish government to monitor human rights violations, prevent torture and mistreatment and ensure the right to equality of all members of society. However, it has been harshly criticized for failing to fulfill its mandate of investigating allegations made by prisoners.
The report also highlighted hygiene issues, including the lack of a laundry facility for inmates. The two washing machines available are allocated to female inmates, leaving others to wash their clothes by hand. Moreover, inmates have access to hot water for only two hours a day, one hour in the morning and one in the evening.
The poor conditions led to a scabies outbreak in the prison. The infected inmates were not isolated from the others, leading the disease to spread.
The TİHEK report pointed out several other problems, including the lack of human rights and communication training for staff, along with no training on the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment.
According to Council of Europe reports, Turkey has the highest prison population in Europe. The findings of the TİHEK report align with these statistics, underscoring the chronic overcrowding in Turkish prisons. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2022 allocated 8.7 billion lira ($261 million) for the construction of 36 new prisons in the next four years. The number of Turkish penal institutions will increase to 419 this year with the opening of 20 new prisons. There were 403 prisons in the country as of June 2024.
