Since July 2015, the rulers, who also used the atmosphere created by the coup attempt, have unleashed a reckless attack by their policies of oppression and exploitation against the people. The reflection of these policies in prisons are steps taken to deepen and expand isolation. The rulers saw F-types as insufficient and took the isolation one step further by building first S and then Y-type prisons.

Among these, Y type prisons are of special importance in terms of the nature and negative impact of isolation. These prisons, whose construction was announced by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself, saying “we will not show them the light of day”, have been opened since 2020. Currently their number has reached 7.

These prisons are modern forms of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon Project. This project and understanding, which was deemed inhumane even in the 18th century, is being implemented by the rulers in the 21st century, using the possibilities of modern technology. In Y-type prisons, single cells sunlight narrowly and the ventilation is limited. In current practice, there is alive people in coffins. These prisons should be closed.

Isolation has been deepened by this “new and deadly prison model”. However, the rulers did not limit their attacks to this, they continued to attack their “mortal enemies” with the changes made in the legislation and sometimes with the current situations created.

The Criminal Code has been amended and the right to conditional release has been included in the jurisdiction of the Administration and Observation Boards. With this change, another right granted to prisoners was usurped. While in the past “good behavior” was enough for conditional release, now Board approval is required. Thus, a right based on objective criteria was left to the subjective evaluations of independent and autonomous boards, paving the way for arbitrary practices. The “Interview System”, has been moved to prisons. Considering the general functioning of the interview system, we can say with certainty that political prisoners’ right to conditional release de facto has been eliminated. Current practices are also in this direction. The practice should be stopped before causing further damage.

Another change made in the legislation, prisoners can follow newspapers from a list which has been previously approved. A subscription requirement is imposed for publications that are not considered within the scope of this list. This is a negative practice that, especially affects to revolutionary-democratic publications. Many opposition publications were not included in the list. In this way, the prisoners’ right to receive information freely was restricted and physical isolation was strengthened by intensifying social isolation. In addition, although there is no basis in the legislation, actual situations have been created for “security” reasons and book quotas have been implemented in all prisons. Thus, the material conditions for prisoners to nourish and produce themselves ideologically, politically and culturally have been limited.

Another development towards the social isolation of all prisoners is the criminalization of any kinds of relationships with prisoners. Visitors are subjected to security investigation and sensitive people, friends and relatives who send money to the prisoners for solidarity purposes are arrested and showing material and moral solidarity with the prisoners is shown as crime. In this way, the prisoners’ ties with society will be attacked, their isolation will be deepened, social sensitivity towards the prisoners will be suppressed and fascist oppression against the prisoners will be concealed.

All obstacles to solidarity with prisoners must be removed. Efforts to criminalize solidarity with prisoners must be stopped.

Another problem that is not new in prisons and is always current is the practices towards sick prisoners. Sick prisoners, who are forced to live in unbearably harsh conditions, are first prevented from being released and then from accessing actual healthcare services under prison conditions, even though treatment is essential for them. The first of these obstacles is the imposition of handcuffed inspection. Hospital referrals are delayed, honor-damaging practices such as “oral searches” are imposed during hospital visits and referrals are requested to be made with single rings that will strain health conditions. These make it difficult for all prisoners to access treatment, not just sick prisoners.

We announce that we have started a 5-day hunger strike starting from August 1 for our demands below. We declare that we will resist against Y-types with this hunger strike. We call on all our people to support our demands.

OUR DEMANDS:

  1. Y type prisons must be closed!
  2. Administrative and Observation Boards must be abolished!
  3. Aggravated life imprisonment must end!
  4. The requirement for access to newspapers must be abolished and the book quota application must end!
  5. Let the sick prisoners be released! Treatment conditions appropriate to human dignity must be created for prisoners!

TKP/ML PRISONERS FROM ALL PRISONS