[Imc-beirut] Indymedia Istanbul (turkey)

[yarin bizimdir]

can you please publish this appeal in your own indymedia-site. this is an appeal of indymedia istanbul (Turkey). if you do it for us, we will thank you. it's difficult to publish in all indymedia one by one. thanks for your cooperation. Greetings.

Title:  250th day of Behiç Aşçı’s hunger strike
Author:  Istanbul Indymedia - IMC

Summary: 

We, the İstanbul Indymedia volunteers, want to get your attention
for the ongoing isolation torture in Turkey. A lawyer, Behiç Aşçı,
protesting the silence of the state as well as NGOs and public is going
to die for he is on a hunger strike. All of us who have been silent
regarding the case will bear the burden of this action if Aşçı turns
out to be just another in more than 120 persons who died/was killed in
protest of F-type prisons since 1996 in Turkey. On 13th of December, it
was 250th day of Aşçı’s strike, and we do not want this beautiful man
to pass away.





BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Judicial execution through F-type prisons takes on place in Turkey
since 2000. Human rights defenders, NGOs and barristers have stood
against the F-type prisons project, before it was put into practice by
force. After political prisoners refused to be placed in these prisons,
the state kicked off a series of simultaneous operations among nearly
20 prisons in Turkey on December 19, 2000. Heavy construction
equipments, many security troops and soldiers got into the prisons
using guns and chemical weapons to take prisoners to F-type prisons by
force, during the operations deliberate force was used on prisoners and
many prisoners were put into isolated cells despite the fact that they
were soaking wet and heavily injured and 28 prisoners along with two
soldiers had passed away. 

F-type prison cells along with moderated E-type prison cells are
based on individual or small-group isolation of prisoners; where
ventilation, communication, visiting, health, defense and many other
indispensable human rights are subject to usurpation under the name
“amendment sanctions” and any efforts to go after such human rights
abuses by the prisoners are either refused arbitrarily and/or punished
by prison administrative authorities. No criminal complaints regarding
the human rights abuses in this sense are let be taken to the
authorities. 

Among some of the many  things that are
prohibited at F-type prisons are talking while playing volleyball,
archiving newspapers, listening to music from walkman, wearing garments
brought by visitors. Also, the colors of the prisoners’ underwear are
limited in case they make flags out of them, the flowers pasted on
letters are deemed as reasons to tear the letters. Specifically
petitions or letters complaining from the deeds of administrative or
military personnel are hindered to be sent to lawyers or families of
the prisoners. Photo albums are not permitted. Medical treatments for
prisoners are impeded by unacceptable practices. The prisoners are not
allowed to exchange books or lend money or garments, or keep more than
three books at hand. Moreover, the use common lebensraums depend on a
certain political view of the prisoners. Three to four times a day
prisoners are forced to wear off their shoes and controlled, disquieted
for any reasons, exposed to high-volume music, and similar humiliating
acts during controls. And these are only a few of many inhuman daily
practices observed at F-type prisons. 

Such an execution model is an additional type of punishment exerted
over prisoners unlawfully and is against humanity. 122 persons have
passed away since 2000 in protests against F-type prisons and isolation
practices at prisons. More than 600 were injured permanently physically
or psychologically. 

NGOs, trade unions and human rights defenders that have prepared
reports and gone through researches on insulation and isolation at
prisons so far all agree that F-type prisons are used for torture,
cause irreversible damage on  convicts’ and prisoners’ physical and psychological well-being, cultural and  political identities. 

Isolation practices but abstract individuals from any type of social
relations are against the human nature and humanity. Turkey’s
government and ministers of justice have done nothing to bring a
solution to the problem so far but postpone them, and even closed the
channels for dialogue. The government put the new law on execution into
practice, which even adds to the current burden of isolation of
prisoners.  

The point reached as of today is nothing but a bunch of problems due
to unlawful practices by the Ministry of Justice against the articles
in the Turkey’s constitution that guarantees the right to live and the
right to protect honour; against any human rights agreements,
international law norms.

On April 5, Barrister Behiç Aşçı, who is a member of People’s Law
Bureau and of Administrative Board of Contemporary Lawyers’ Association
started death strike with the demand to abolish the isolation in his
house in Istanbul. Similar actions - both in and outside prisons -
against isolation continue. 

The government should immediately take the required steps to halt
further deaths and defects. By “steps” the following is implied: The
Minister of Justice, Cemil Çiçek, should accept the reality that
isolation practice is “subject to discussion” and meet with the
spokespersons of the initiative against isolation. Until the discussion
period is finalised, the problem should not be made harder with new
practices. During this period, fundamental isolation practices of
quantity and kind that would necessitate a discussion platform should
be given up.  

ACT NOW!

  

Write your messages to Turkey’s Minister of Justice, Cemil Cicek urging
him to make a step for a solution to the ongoing tragedy regarding
abuses and deaths due to f-type prisons in Turkey. 

Please circulate this call as  widely as possible.

ADDRESS AND SEND YOUR APPEALS TO:

Minister of Justice

  Cemil Çiçek

e-mail:  fkasirga at adalet.gov.tr  

  Web site: www.adalet.gov.tr

  Fax: +90 312 4177113

Address: T.C. Adalet  Bakanlığı, 06659, Kızılay, Ankara



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