The number of prisoners and detained people, which was 59 thousand 428 in 2002, the year when AKP first came to the power, this number increased by 114 percent in nine years and rose to 127 thousand 831 in the year of 2011.
According to the data by the National Judiciary Network Project 2011, a total of 127 thousand 831 people are held in 418 prisons in Turkey. Among these people, 36 thousand 462 are prisoners on remand, 17 thousand 950 are jailed without definite conviction and 73 thousand 419 are convicted.
Among 34 thousand 430 prisoners on remand in Turkey’s prisons, 32 thousand 807 are made up of men aged above 18, 1474 of women aged above 18 and 1623 of children between the ages of 12-17.
While 17 thousand 950 are jailed without definite conviction, among them 17 thousand 298 are made up of men and the rest made up of women.
Of 125 thousand 820 jailed people in Turkish prisons, seven thousand 582 are at the age range of 18-20, consisting of 213 women and seven thousand 369 men. 81 thousand 672 are at the age range of 21-39, while 1,529 are at the age range of 65-79.
Among the prisoners in 418 prisons, 78 are at the age of above 80. Apart from this figure, the ages of eight women, 50 men and 58 other prisoners aren’t known.
Indefinite hunger strike continues in 22 prisons
Hundreds of PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and PAJK (Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Party) prisoners in a dozen of prisons have been on indefinite hunger strike for 29 days to protest against the isolation policies on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. On 29 January Deniz Kaya declared the indefinite hunger strike with turns was changed to indefinite hunger strike without turns. Kaya noted the prisoners would also refuse visits until 5 February.
Deterioration in several prisoners’ health conditions have already been reported whilst human rights organisations warn about the probability of worsening of the situation unless the prisoners’ demands are accepted. The hunger strike continues in a dozen of F Type prisons including those Erzurum, Bitlis, Siirt, Samsun, İstanbul, Mardin, İskenderun, Hatay, Adana, Trabzon, Bingöl, Batman, Mersin, Antep, Giresun, Rize, Sincan, Ankara, İnebolu, Kırklareli, Bayburt, Amasya and Karaman. (ANF-DIHA, 28 January 2012)
815 children die in 2011 due to government’s neglect
The Association for promoting, universalizing, implementing and monitoring the implementation of the rights of the child, The Agenda is Children (Gündem Çocuk) has declared its annual Children’s Right to Live in Turkey report where it has been stated that 815 children died of preventable causes or due to the government’s neglect. According to the report:
*2 children died due to mine or arm explosion
*3 children died in gunfight
*19 children massacred in Roboski
*3 children died due to rights violations in social incidents, including Fırat İzgin who burnt himself to draw attention to the Kurdish issue
*20 children died due to individual arming
*12 children committed suicide
*24 children died due to domestic violence
*9 children died due to peer violence
*15 children died in health care
*5 children died in education institutions
*177 children died in car accidents
*32 children died of gas and smoke poisoning
*325 children died in the earthquake in Van.
Gündem Çocuk Executive Board Member Emrah Kırımsoy remarked the government’s responsibility of not violating the children’s right to live and said: "Since the government is not fulfilling this responsibility, children are dying, extrajudicially killed, even slain in social incidents, gunfights or due to mine and arm explosions." (DIHA, 28 January 2012)
http://www.info-turk.be/401.htm#turning
Droits de l’Homme / Human Rights
