| | | | Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Türk said most of the thirteen prisoners in İstanbul’s Bayrampaşa prison died after setting themselves on fire. An inmate was shot by soldiers in İstanbul’s Ümraniye prison after he set himself on fire and rushed toward the soldiers, he added.
Türk said two soldiers had been killed in clashes at Ümraniye and in a prison in the western town of Çanakkale. No details were available. Turkey’s independent Human Rights Association said that another three prisoners had died, but gave no details on their deaths. Officials are still unable to confirm those deaths. The association said at least 78 inmates were seriously injured mostly through attempts to burn themselves in prison operations dubbed by officials as “Return to life”. Four soldiers are reported to have been injured in the storming of prisons.
Shots were heard coming from İstanbul’s Bayrampaşa prison, private television station NTV reported, and clouds of gray smoke emerged from the prison. A fire was reported in at least one other prison. At least 11 soldiers were treated tear gas intoxication reported the Anatolian News Agency.
Inmates refused to be transferred to Turkey’s new prisons with cells designed to hold one to three prisoners, arguing they would be more vulnerable to abuse by guards. Prisoners are currently housed in large wards that hold up to 100 people.
The Interior Ministry said it launched operations in 20 prisons. Busloads of paramilitary police were seen entering the penitentiaries at around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), and ambulances were brought to rush inmates to hospitals. The Ministry said that inmates in İstanbul’s Bayrampaşa and Ümraniye prisons as well as those in Çankırı, Ceyhan, Aydın, and Malatya were putting up an armed resistance. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Türk said that inmates in Bayrampaşa prison were firing on soldiers with semi-automatic weapons. Soldiers are reportedly breaking through the walls of the wards to overpower the inmates. The Ministry, meanwhile, announced that operations had ended in 15 prisons of Kahramanmaraş-Elbistan, Kırşehir, Niğde, Nevşehir, Uşak, Adana, Ankara, Nazilli, Ermenek, Buca, Ceyhan, Çankırı, Bursa, Malatya, and Aydın all inmates on the “death fast” were transferred to hospitals. Operations are still ongoing at 2 other prisons of Ümraniye and Çanakkale.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Association said that prisoners had taken guards hostage in a prison in the southern city of Adana.
Although the government vowed two weeks ago to postpone indefinitely the transfer to the new prisons, Turk said Tuesday that some prisoners had been transferred to a cell-equipped prison in Sincan, near Ankara. Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Türk said 50 inmates had so far been taken to hospitals and one prisoner in İstanbul’s Bayrampaşa prison died after setting himself on fire. Another 200 inmates on a rotating hunger strike to support the leftist prisoners were also taken to hospitals. “You cannot expect the state to watch people being left to die; this is the reason for the intervention in 20 prisons,” Türk told reporters, adding, “the aim of the operation is to save lives ... to end the hunger strikes, without allowing anyone to die or leaving any permanent scars.”
Can Dündar, a journalist who participated in mediation efforts, said that the prisoners were expecting the raid and security forces were likely to meet serious resistance. Inmates have held out for hours in previous raids, using smuggled guns and makeshift flame-throwers.
Mediation failed to end the hunger strikes, and as the health of the fasting prisoners rapidly deteriorated. The government had postponed plans to transfer the inmates more than a week ago, but failed to persuade prisoners to stop their fasting. Turkey’s independent Human Rights Association, meanwhile, accused the government of not entering the talks earlier and waiting for the 50th day of the strike to try to help. The government, in the meantime, gave no indication or a forewarning for the impending raids.
At least 20 inmates are said to be in critical condition after refusing to eat for the past 61 days. The government says it cannot control the large wards, where political groups are in power and control them as indoctrination centers. Riots and hostage-takings are not uncommon in Turkish prisons.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit stated that the operations at prisons were conducted for the safeguard of the inmates, ensuring that they do not harm themselves any further. “We have been very patient for the last two months for the hunger strikes to conclude peacefully. Our security forces are taking the utmost care to make sure that terrorists do not harm themselves during these operations. Operations have ended in many prisons and I hope that the remaining will be resolved as soon as possible, ” he concluded.
Tension spilled out into the streets, meanwhile, as police in Ankara and İstanbul beating students with truncheons who were marching to protest the prison storming. At least 50 people were arrested in Ankara.
Police also detained hundreds of inmates’ relatives and human rights activists outside the prisons, the Human Rights Association said.
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Tantan speaks on prisons
