MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – As the Covid-19 pandemic has been spreading in Turkey, the number of prisoners infected with the Covid-19 has been increasing due to untaken safety measures in the prisons. One of these prisons is Diyarbakır Women’s Closed Prison. Women prisoners have had hard times due to malnourishment, unavailable Covid-19 tests, regular controls of wardens, and insufficient hygienic measures in the prison.

Persons with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should have immediate diagnostic testing to prevent the pandemic from spreading; however, the women prisoners held in Diyarbakır Women’s Closed Prison have been not tested when they have signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Lawyers of the Free Lawyers Association (ÖHD) Diyarbakır Branch have followed the situation in the prison since the beginning of the pandemic. The lawyers visit the prison almost every day. “They separated those who tested positive and those who had contact with them were put under quarantine before. In the last two weeks, the prisoners, who had contact, had the Covid-19 test very late. After receiving the test result, the 14-day quarantine period restarted. If the prisoners had the Covid-19 tests before it was too late, this period wouldn’t take so long,” the lawyers said. 

“63-year-old woman has been held in a ward alone”

“The prisoners are tested every 5 days. The number of prisoners testing positive and negative is unknown. 63-year-old Nurşan Akbal has been held in a ward alone after testing positive twice in the B-11 ward. Five prisoners held in the B-12 ward have been quarantined for Covid-19 for having in close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID -19. The situation in the other wards is the same. 16 prisoners have been held in the A-12 ward, suitable for 12 prisoners,” the lawyers reported.

“My mother has suffered from asthma, she doesn’t feel good”

Nurşan Akbal’s son Ozan Akbal went to the prison to see his mother but he learned that his mother was infected with Covid-19 for the second time and he couldn’t see her. He told us that the prisoners cannot be fully recovered because they don’t have healthy food and take their medicines regularly. “My mother has suffered from asthma. She says she sweats profusely at night. She was infected with Covid-19 before. Last night, we learned that she has been infected with Covid-19 again. The pandemic is spreading in the wards due to malnourishment. The prisoners should take nourishment and vitamins.”