Burak Buyukkaya, a prisoner at Erzurum Dumlu No. 2 High Security Closed Prison, described the rights violations in the prison in a letter he sent to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA). In his letter, he listed the violations, ranging from cell counts to the confiscation of letters, books, newspapers and magazines. 

In his letter, Buyukkaya stated, "Despite our constant focus on finding solutions during our meetings with the prison administration to resolve the issues we face, they insist on imposing a military-style order. We cannot accept this as it is an application that violates human dignity. Unfortunately, the prison administration is still far from resolving even the first issue. No institution can be this egotistical; even if it were, the problems would remain unsolved." 

 

'PRISONERS CANNOT GATHER TOGETHER'

 

Expressing that prisoners are being isolated, Buyukkaya said: "As political prisoners, we have been held in different blocks, far away from each other for years. This creates many problems. From not being able to participate in activities together to our families being victimised because open visits are on different days. We are in a system where people being together is discouraged. But being human requires togetherness, unity. That is why we insist on being human."

 

'LETTERS, BOOKS AND MAGAZINES ARE BANNED'

 

In his letter, "If our books mention the Kurds' struggle for freedom, they are definitely not allowed. They even confiscate the very few books related to Kurdish history. Finally, my books 'Smile, O Revolution' and 'Lost Communal Circles and Kurds in the Middle East' were confiscated. Of course, the reason is clear... Democratic Modernity was not allowed. I suppose they are allergic to the word democracy. Then how can I convey the problems we experience with letters? Last week, they gave me a letter three months later. As far as I understand, there was a poem in the letter. Only the line 'Take care of yourself, comrade' remained on the page; the rest was blacked out. Of course, this is not the first time," he stated. 

 

Expressing in his letter that hospital transfers take months, Buyukkaya said: "Friends with dental problems have not been treated for years because their handcuffs have not been removed. During open visits, our families are subjected to strip searches, or what they call detailed searches, because the X-ray machine beeps when they pass through. They do this regardless of age, whether old, young, or child. Moreover, these are not the only subtle policies they employ." 

 

In the letter, Buyukkaya stated that these violations are things that violate human dignity and said that, as prisoners, they would stand up against them, just as people have done throughout history. 

 

MA / Mujdat Can