A delegation from the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) paid its periodic visit to Turkey from 11 to 25 January.

The main objective of the visit was to examine the way in which people deprived of their liberty are treated by the police and the guarantees they enjoy. Particular attention was paid to the situation of women, detained minors and persons sentenced to an aggravated life imprisonment.

The delegation, said the CPT in a statement, was also able to assess the impact of the measures taken to prevent the spread of covid-19 within prisons. The visit was also an opportunity for the delegation to discuss with the competent authorities the issues related to the follow-up given to the recommendations previously made by the CPT regarding the situation of those detained in the high security type F prison in Imralı.

During the visit, the delegation met Süleyman Soylu, Minister of the Interior, Abdulhamit Gül, Minister of Justice, Muhterem Ince, Deputy Minister of the Interior, Uğurhan Kuş, Deputy Minister of Justice, and Yunus Alkaç, Director General of Prisons and Detention Centers, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior (including the General Command of the Gendarmerie), Justice and Foreign Affairs. In addition, meetings were held with Süleyman Arslan, President of the Turkish Human Rights and Equality Authority.

The delegation was made up of: Mykola Gnatovskyy, President of the CPT (Head of delegation), Therese Rytter, 2nd deputy president of the CPT, Djordje Alempijević, Nico Hirsch, Julia Kozma, Ceyhun Qaracayev, Hans Wolff. They were assisted by Hugh Chetwynd (Head of Division) and Elvin Aliyev of the CPT's Secretariat.

The delegation went to the police stations in Ankara, Amed, Istanbul, Ataşehir, Bağcılar, Yenibosna, Ümraniye, Gayrettepe, Maltepe-Küçükyalı, Kayseri as well as in Diyarbakır No.3 T Type Prison, Bakırköy Women's Prison, İstanbul Maltepe 1, 2 L Type Prisons, Metris T Type No 1 Prison Visited Kayseri No 1 T Type Prison and Kayseri Women's Prison.