News Center- Rights violations in Turkey’s prisons are alarming while the authorities remain silent against this situation. The relatives of prisoners take to the streets to protest rights violations against their relatives in prison. Prisoners, whose most basic rights to life are denied in prisons, cannot receive the necessary treatment when they test positive for Covid-19. 35 female prisoners in the Kayseri Bünyan Women’s Closed Prison have tested positive for Covid-19. According to reports, four of them suffer from serious symptoms. Celil Akın, a lawyer and member of the Çukurova Association for Assistance for Families of Prisoners and Convicts (Çukurova TUAY-DER) visited the women in the prison.

Celil Akın gave information about his visit as follows:

“The prisoners I spoke to told me that the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the B-1 room 15 days ago. Although the prisoners had the symptoms of coronavirus, the prison administration did not allow them to be transferred to a hospital. The prison administration did not take any precautions. When the prisoners demanded face masks, they were told, ‘the preventive measure for Covid-19 ended, we cannot give you face masks.’ Consequently, the virus spreads in five wards, where political prisoners are kept. The prisoners told me that 35 prisoners have tested positive for Covid-19 and four of them suffer from serious symptoms.

“After making great efforts, Gulazer Akın, Yaprak Taşçı, Şilan Çetiner and Şilan Okut, who have tested positive for Covid-19, were transferred to a hospital. The prisoners named Pervin Genç, Rojbin Yakut, Güzel Saraç and Gülistan Yılmaz are reportedly suffering from serious symptoms and they bleed from their nose and mouth. Despite the serious health conditions of the prisoners, they are denied access to treatment. They have been waiting for their test results for four days in order to be transferred to a hospital.”