ANKARA - The book titled "22 Days in the Madhouse - Ill Prisoners on the Cross" written by Resul Kocatürk, who is staying in Kırıkkale Type F Closed Prison, was not given to him on the grounds that it is "objectionable".

 

Resul Kocatürk has been in prison for 28 years and is on the Ill prisoners list of the Human Rights Association (IHD). The book written by Kocatürk was not given to him. Kocatürk, who is held in Kırıkkale Type F Closed Prison, explained his situation in the letter he sent to journalist and writer Hüseyin Aykol.

 

Kocatürk stated that the prison administration confiscated his book "22 Days in the Madhouse - Ill Prisoners on the Cross" and did not give it to him.

 

'APPROVED BOOK WAS NOT GIVEN'

 

Kocatürk stated the following in his letter: "Kırıkkale Type F, in my book titled '22 Days in the Madhouse - Ill Prisoners on the Cross', which was published in the 1st edition in January 2024, in which I wrote about the practices and testimonies I faced during the 22 days I was held in the Istanbul-Bakırköy 'hospital' prison. It was confiscated by the prison administration.This book of mine, which was found to be objectionable and confiscated, was inspected by the Type F Prison Letter Reading Commission at least six times from 2021 until January 2024, when its first edition was published, and each time, all pages were approved by stamping 'seen'.”

 

Kocatürk stated that the proof print sent by the publishing house was also inspected by the "Prison Education Unit" and the book was marked "seen". Kocatürk noted, "After my book, which was inspected many times and no problems were seen, was printed and confiscated by the Education Board, which consists of the same administrators and officers of the prison, it was deemed 'objectionable'."

 

REASON: OBJECTIVE

 

Kocatürk also stated the following about the reason why his book was not given to him: "The basis of the reason for confiscation was 'making it difficult to achieve the aim of improving the convict'. It seems that the 'superior mind' decided that I would be confused if I read the book I wrote and made an unprecedented decision to protect me from myself. No matter how we look at it, we are faced with an illegal, tragicomic (or I don't know if I should say absurd) situation. We are under the pressure of a government that distorts the legal rights of locked people and renders them dysfunctional. Unfortunately, I have not even been able to see the cover of my first published book, let alone hold it in my hands.”

 

MA / Hivda Çelebi