Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) spokesperson Ebru Günay met with representatives of the Bar Association in Van to discuss the situation in Turkey’s prisons.

"The legal system has completely collapsed"

Günay underlined that the violations of rights against imprisoned women have become even more serious, while at the same time a policy of impunity is practised against perpetrators of femicide. The HDP spokesperson described the Turkish state's legal system as "completely collapsed" and continued: "We all witness how male the judiciary has become. There is no justice, there is male justice. The sexual violence that Garibe Gezer experienced in prison, which, although she described it in a letter, went completely unpunished, as well as her detention in an isolation cell and the fact that no one heard her scream, led to her death. These facts should not be judged independently of men's justice and the patriarchal system."

"Prisons have become places of death"

Regarding the situation of sick prisoners, Ebru Günay said: "Aysel Tuğluk's situation most clearly reflects the problems and difficulties faced by sick prisoners. We are in a development process in which prisons are being completely transformed into houses of death. Instead of murders by unknown perpetrators in the past, prisoners are now being killed in suspicious ways. The place we call prison reflects pure patriarchal rule. One of the main strategies of imprisonment is isolation. This must be seen as another form of punishment. Attempts are already being made to isolate us women on the outside. In prisons, this happens much more openly. Just as we can protect the gains of women on the outside through solidarity, we need to stress the importance of solidarity with women in prison."

"Behind the oppression is the Imrali system"

Günay pointed out that conditions in prisons have become even worse against the backdrop of the pandemic: "There is not a day without torture, without ill-treatment, without death. In the last two months alone, dozens of sick prisoners have died. They all died from isolation, solitary confinement, neglect and hostile policies. In fact, there is no natural death behind bars, it is murder. In such a situation, there needs to be special interest and special solidarity with our women friends in prison. We all know that the Imrali isolation system is the root of this oppression. We clearly see that the isolation system has spread from there to all prisons in Turkey."

HDP spokesperson Ebru Günay concluded, "We held the first meeting here to strengthen this solidarity. In the coming days we will also hold meetings in Istanbul, Ankara, Mersin, the Aegean region and Amed. This situation must be made visible."