Prisoners held in Erzurum Dumlu High Security Closed Prison No. 1 told their relatives about the rights violations they experienced. Prisoners said that the letters sent to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is held in İmralı, were arbitrarily blocked.

 

LETTERS ARE BEING SEIZED

 

The prisoners stated that the letters contained descriptions of prison conditions, hunger strikes, and the demands of the prisoners, and that their content consisted of humanitarian and democratic demands, and that the administration confiscated the letters on the grounds that they were "propaganda for the terror organization".

 

Prisoners said that they also appealed to the Execution Judgeship and High Criminal Courts against the confiscation decision and stated that the letters were confiscated because of the word "strike". Stating that the prison administration does not give liquid food to the prisoners on hunger strike, the prisoners said: "They only give one small fruit juice a day, but this is not given to the prisoners because fruit juice is not sold in the canteen." 

 

In addition, it was stated that the document "Summary algorithm for nutrition and treatment after the end of the hunger strike", prepared by the Turkish Medical Association to protect the health of prisoners on hunger strike and to take the necessary precautions, was not given to the prisoners on the grounds that it was a photocopy.

 

Prisoners called for awareness against these arbitrary and unlawful practices of the prison administration.