Conditions at Amed Open Prison in Kayapınar district are reminiscent of Nazi camp conditions. Administrators and guards in Amed Open Prison are reported to base their authority on threats, employ prisoners in off-the-record jobs, and send those that refuse to work to Amed Closed Prison. State officials turn a blind eye to the arbitrary treatment of the nearly 130 prisoners here, and prison officials arbitrarily turn off the heat and limit prisoners’ access to hot water.

THREAT OF BEING SENT TO CLOSED PRISON

Prisoners are allowed to buy phone cards, but the phones in Amed Open Prison do not function. Prisoners are given uncooked food in a demeaning manner and often mocked by guards. Prison officers use the threat of sending prisoners to Amed Closed Prison, and prisoners, most of whom have only a few months left on their sentence, are terrified of threats to extend their time in prison.

OFF-THE-RECORD EMPLOYMENT

The jobs offered to the prisoners have slavery conditions and do not offer any salary or insurance. Many prisoners are forced to carry out off-the-record jobs such as working in the field, carrying loads and cleaning the premises of the prison. The prisoners that refuse to work in these unofficial jobs are sent to Amed Closed Prison after being charged with fabricated accusations.

PRISONERS SUFFER FROM SEVERE HYGENIC PROBLEMS

Prisoners suffer from severe hygienic problems due to the dirty water pipes of the facility and the prison-made detergents that cause irritation. Due to the fear of being sent to Amed Closed Prison, inmates are unable to file complaints. Prisoners cannot bring their own blankets and are forced to sleep in dirty blankets that cause illnesses.

NO RIGHT TO ASK A QUESTION

The head guard explains prison rules to every incoming inmate and says that prisoners have no rights because they committed a crime, and have to do anything they are asked to or else they will be sent to the closed prison for 6 months.

DESERTIONS DUE TO THE THREAT OF BEING SENT TO CLOSED PRISON

Things have gone so wrong in Amed Open Prison that some inmates receive minutes without any notification, and one person deserts the prison every day due to the threat of being arbitrarily sent to Amed Closed Prison. Also, the inmates with mental problems are kept with the rest of the prison population.

DESIRE TO COLLAPSE THE PRISONERS PSYCHOLOGICALLY

The prison commissary has no fixed hours and operates arbitrarily. Prisoners are punished the moment they ask a question, and are faced with prison officials’ desire to collapse them psychologically. The prisoners that leaked the above information demanded the immediate monitoring of the prison by an independent committee and human rights organization representatives.