Prisons in Turkey

In prisons in Turkey, a distinction in closed and open prisons, whereby in the former can be classified into ordinary and high security prisons takes place. In many prisons there are separate wings for women and sometimes for children and adolescents. There are also separate prisons for women and children, which are divided by closed and open. These nationwide are three educational institutions for children. As in many other countries, a distinction is made in Turkey between detention and imprisonment.

History

In the Ottoman Empire the dungeon prisons were called ( Turkish zindan ). In Turkey, the dungeons were mostly dark and wet towers. The first prison in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul was built in 1831 and was named general prison ( hapishane -i Umumi ).

With the 1858 Penal Code was introduced in addition to the death penalty after hard labor on galleys ( kürek for rowing in boats), in the pillory filters ( prangabentlik ) and in the tower imprison ( kalebentlik ) distinguished.

With the Turkish Penal Code, adopted on March 1, 1926, after serious offenses ( and related penalties, similar to those known from Germany prison sentences ) are distinguished and light offenses. In addition to the offenses ( Turkish cürüm ) there were transgressions ( Turkish kabahat ). Law No. 5349 of 11 May 2005, the distinction was abolished in light and heavy penalties, but not the differentiation of the courts (see the section on criminal courts in Turkey).

The time from 1980 to 2000

With the military coup of 12 September 1980, martial law was proclaimed in all the time existing 67 provinces of Turkey. Members of armed and unarmed left and right organizations whose often bloody conflicts were cited as the reason for the coup, had to stand trial before military courts. Therefore civilians were detained in many places in military prisons. In addition to the Mamak Military Prison in Ankara province, especially the Metris Prison ( in Istanbul) and the acquired (again as the prison called ) prison in Diyarbakir awareness.

Due to the high number of prisoners, many new prisons were built from 1982. Amnesty International stated in a report dated November 1988, that the number of prisons to 644 and the capacity of 55,000 had risen to over 80,000. From 1986, the members organized themselves of political prisoners in the Human Rights Association (IHD ), but also in groups to show solidarity with prisoners of certain organizations (such as TAYAD, see page for DHKP -C). With their help, the prisoners tried to bring to the public their demands to improve prison conditions and to carried out hunger strikes ( death fast ).

In April 1991, the Law No. 3713 on combating terrorism ( Terörle Mücadele Kanunu, short and anti - terror law, ATG ) was adopted. Article 16 of the Act stipulated that all persons covered by the provisions of this Act, be housed in high security prisons with single cells and cells for three people.

The time since 2000

Had the political prisoners in 1996 laying in the first maximum-security prison in Eskişehir ( it was called the "Special Type Prison ") with a death fast, which cost 12 lives, prevented, so they succeeded in 2000, not laying in other high security prisons ( now called " F-type prison " ) to prevent. Meanwhile, there are 13 prisons of the type "F". There are also two type prisons "D", which are also referred to as high -security prisons.

Facts and Figures

According to the General Directorate of Criminal and prisons ( Turkish ve Ceza Genel Müdürlüğü Tevkifevleri, part of Turkey Ministry of Justice ) were on 1 December 2008 384 prisons, including 346 closed and 28 open prisons in Turkey in operation. There were three educational institutions for children. For women, there were 3 closed and 1 open prison and for children and youth 3 closed prisons. As of December 1, 2008, in these institutions a total of 103 296 prisoners, 44 038 and 59 258 on remand in criminal detention.

In the year 2006, 20 in 2007, 50 and 2008 new prisons were built until October 16 at the county level. Since 2006 also 27 modern prisons in Ankara, Istanbul, Çorum, Alanya, Metris, Silivri, Antalya, Kırıkkale, Rize and Istanbul were built.

Official data on the number of prisoners are in annual reports of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and on the website of the Directorate-General for criminal and prison for any period before the year 2000. Meanwhile include the statistics of the Ministry as the category " profit- oriented crimes' ( Turkish Cikar amaçlı suçlar so is organized crime meant, punishable under Article 220 of the Turkish Penal Code ). Since 2010, there is another category of cases that are not assigned to any group.

The following figures were given for the date of 31 January 2010:

The following figures were given for the March 31, 2012:

In June 2010, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin was answering a question from Mr from Batman, Bengi Yıldız in such a way that a total of 86 new prisons with a capacity of 40 026 inmates are to be built between 2010 and 2015.

The Democratic Turkey Forum ( DTF ) has created an overview of prisons in Turkey as of October 2008 from the information of the general directorate for punishment and prisons. The other details listed here are also based on information provided by the general directorate for criminal and prison.

The Directorate-General for criminal and prison in the Turkish Ministry of Justice is the basis of this information to the sums of 384 prisons (with 37 closed prisons imputed open prisons and two also other prisons connected prisons were not counted by the type T) and a capacity of these prisons of 98 238 inmates.

In July 2009, the Justice Department announced the closure of 18 prisons. For, as the Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin, with that date of 22 June 2009 a total of 112 181 investigative and criminal prisoners were housed in 389 prisons. The following prisons, which are no longer to use in the eyes of the Justice Department, will be closed: Susurluk type A1, GOKCEADA type A, ezine Type A Patnos type A1, Karapınar type A1, Sivrihisar type A, Hassa Type A Dörtyol Type A Kiraz Type A, Type A2 Anaç, Keskin ( g), Kulu type A1, Cihanbeyli Type A Bulanık Type A, Type A1 Kuyucak, Anamur ( g), Devrek Type A Çaycuma type A.

Opinions of international bodies

In addition to non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch especially the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT ) deals with the situation in Turkish prisons. One focus was the F- type prisons to their construction, the CPT has encouraged Turkey and the situation in the detention center on the island İmralı, where since 1999, imprisoned as the only inmate, Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the acting force of arms Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK is.

On 6 March 2008, the report of a visit to the island on 19 May was - May 22, 2007 published. This was the fourth visit to the island İmralı. At the end of the CPT came to the following conclusion: " Abdullah Ocalan has now been almost 8 ½ years in maximum security prison on the hard to reach island Imrali ... previous visits by the CPT had not found any significant harmful effects on health This review must now considering. the development of physical and mental conditions of Abdullah Öcalan to be revised. "

During visits to other prisons, the CPT has highlighted a number of shortcomings. Thus, for example, is among other things, in the summary of a report of 8 December 2005

• The staff in the mental hospital of Izmir ( Buca ) and in the E-type prisons of Aydın and Gaziantep should be reminded decided that, mistreatment of prisoners is not acceptable
• The Turkish authorities to take all necessary steps to develop programs for community activities in the F - type prison 1 in Izmir
• Immediate steps must be taken to ensure that every prisoner in the E-type prisons in Aydın and Gaziantep has a separate bed
• The level of hygiene in the residential wing of the E-type prison in Gaziantep has to be checked.