Esra Aydın

 

İSTANBUL- Canan Ceylan, who has been held in Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison, points to the right violations they have been faced by the prison administration. Expressing that the right to visit of prisoners have been restricted, that right to health have been seized and they have been subjected to strip search. “Despite everything, I would like to say that we are hopeful and will keep up the struggle by following all the developments with determination of resistance,” wrote Canan in her letter.

 

After the attempted coup, a state of emergency (OHAL) was declared in Turkey and it has been extended for the fifth time, correspondingly increasing right violations are going on. Particularly, right violations are increasing in prisons, the prison administration has banned the right of visiting of prisoners, and seized their health rights and the prisoners have been subjected to torture and maltreating. Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison is one of these prisons that the right violations against prisoners increase day by day.

 

The families are forced to return

 

Canan Ceylan, who has been held in the Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison, sent a letter and she states that there is a visiting time for the prisoners; however the time has been reduced to 35 minutes on the ground that the prisons are busy these days. The families of prisoners come from miles away for a short visit but they have to return if they are late for five minutes.

 

Black is also among banned colors

 

Expressing that photographs can be taken during the visit in every prison, but in Bakırköy Women's Closed Prison taking photographs has been banned due to the state of emergency (OHAL), Canan states that this practice is arbitrary and also added that in every prison khaki and navy blue are banned but in Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison black is also banned and the practice of ‘one-type uniform’ is wanted to put into effect.

 

The biggest problem is seizing the right to health

 

Canan points out in her letter that the biggest problem of right violations in the prisons is towards the health right, and she says, “Referrals to hospital are problematic here as in every prison. The referrals to hospital may be issued after months, and when our friends, who are referred to hospital, go to the detention vehicle, police tell them, ‘the vehicle is full, number of soldiers is not enough’ and our friends are sent back to the ward.”