The hunger strikes launched by prisoners continue for 62 days. Human rights defenders formed an Inmate Hunger Strike Monitoring Commission in Van province. Lawyer Cevahir Ağvalı draws attention to the continuing violations of rights of hunger strikers and she says that no step has been taken and that the coordination will regularly share information from prisons.

Van- The indefinite and rotating hunger strikes launched in 107 prisons of Turkey on November 27, 2020, continue. Human rights defenders formed an Inmate Hunger Strike Monitoring Commission in Van province for hunger strikes that have left behind two months. The commission will collect information on rights violations and pressures imposed on prisoners during the hunger strikes and share their collected information with the public opinion.

Lawyer Cevahir Ağvalı, member of the Özgür Hukukçular Derneği (Free Lawyers' Association) and the Inmate Hunger Strike Monitoring Commission evaluated the latest situation in prisons for our new agency. Saying that the violations of rights in prisons reached the highest level after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, Cevahir Ağvalı stated that they will receive information about the process in the prisons through lawyers and that they will carry out works as commission.

“The prisoners are tired and loss weight”

There has been no problem with the health status of the prisoners for now. However, the reports say they are tired and lost weight. “Alternately, seven prisoners start the hunger strike for five days in Van prison. There has been no problem with the health status of the prisoners for now. It is known that the hunger strike causes some complications in the body even if it lasts a short time. Hunger strikers are tired and losing weight,” said Cevahir Ağvalı.

Continuing rights violations

One of the aims of hunger strikes is to eliminate the ongoing rights violations in prisons. However, no steps have been taken by the authorities or there is no change in practices despite the ongoing hunger strikes. The prisoners haven’t been allowed to see their families for about a year. “The prisoners can only make a 20-minute phone call with their families during this period. The wards have been disinfected once every two weeks or every month, they have been given limited cleaning supplies. The cleaning supplies are bought by prisoners. But they are very expensive so the inmates cannot buy them. The inmates have to cover their expenses for electricity and water and basic food needs. And no measure has been taken for sick, old inmates. At every opportunity, the prisoners tell us that their belongings and books sent from outside are not given to them for weeks, their access to the right to health is restricted and that they cannot take the infirmary service,” said Cevahir Ağvalı.

“Their demands must be accepted”

Pointing out that the basic demands of inmates must be met, lawyer Cevahir Ağvalı stated that they would report all information as commission and she said, “The inmates on hunger strikes have basic demands. Some of their demands are; the rights violations in prisons of Turkey must be ended, the bad conditions in prisons must be improved, the aggravated isolation must be ended. Their demands must be accepted. As commission, we decide to prepare reports about the hunger strikes. The commission will share its reports with the public opinion.”