DİYARBAKIR - Cihan Ülsen, the lawyer of the prisoners who was subjected to "pig-tie" torture in Antalya Type S Closed Prison, stated that they filed a criminal complaint regarding the issue.

 

Ill prisoner Burhan Barut, who was tortured for 5 hours with a "pig tie" made of iron handcuffs in Antalya Type S Closed Prison, continues the hunger strike he started on July 7 due to the torture he experienced. Barut's lawyer Cihan Ülsen, who was sentenced to two aggravated life sentences and 153 years in prison, stated that his client Barut was not in good health and was facing systematic torture.

 

'SYSTEMATIC TORTURE IS APPLIED'

 

Stating that his client had been tortured before and that the criminal complaints they made about it resulted in non-prosecution, Ülsen said: "Barut was especially transferred to prisons far from his family, and that he was exposed to ill-treatment and violence wherever he was transferred. There were similar situations in Tekirdağ as well. Now, when we see the more severe form of this in Antalya, we think that a systematic torture was applied in particular. Just as we did not give up on the torture that was applied before, we will not give up until this torture comes to a conclusion with a fair trial."

 

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT TO MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

 

Noting that they filed a criminal complaint with the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Justice regarding the torture incident, Ülsen said: "We know some of the torture case because we learned it over the phone. There is a case where Gunpowder was beaten naked and was not provided with health services despite serious health problems due to asthma. Of course, he said that along with this torture, there were also serious insults and threats. Taking these statements into account, we submitted our petition to investigate the torture case and punish those responsible. In the petition, we filed a criminal complaint against the director of the institution, the relevant guards and a person named Ömer, who is said to be the head ranger. We did not file a limited criminal complaint, we filed a criminal complaint against maltreatment, abuse of office and all other officers, We did not make the criminal complaint only to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. At the same time, we applied to every place, including the Ministry of Justice, the inspection agency and the prisons monitoring agency."

 

Noting that rights organizations and bar associations will also meet with Barut in order to follow up on the incident in question, Ülsen said: “The rights organizations and bar associations showed a serious sensitivity in this regard. As of yesterday, we have given authorization certificates to both lawyers working at the Antalya Bar Association Human Rights Center and lawyers who are human rights defenders. They will arrange a meeting with Burhan. We will obtain more clear information about the details of the issue, the extent of torture and what was done, and we will share with the public in detail how the client suffered material, moral, psychological and physical violence by making an additional statement to the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. We will also carry out the necessary judicial and administrative follow-up on all the officials who tortured them as much as we could, those who turned a blind eye to it, and all the officials who did not carry out judicial and administrative reconciliation after the torture.”

 

BURHAN HAS HELD IN CELL FOR 13 YEARS

 

Pointing out that his client has been in solitary confinement for 13 years, Ülsen said, "Burhan has been on a hunger strike since July 7, and his health condition is not conducive to this. He is not getting enough health care anyway. If the information we have received is correct and he has been on a hunger strike since July 7, his condition is currently critical."