Urgent call in Parliament from EMEP's Sevda Karaca: 'LGBTI prisoners are under threat of death'

Labor Party (EMEP) Gaziantep MP Sevda Karaca has brought allegations of systematic torture, ill-treatment, and incitement to suicide faced by LGBTI prisoners at Eskişehir Closed Prison to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). Karaca called on Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek for urgent intervention to ensure the safety of the prisoners, who sent letters stating, "We do not want to die."

MP Sevda Karaca shared the allegations from letters received from Eskişehir Closed Prison with the public during a press conference she held at Parliament. According to Karaca, three LGBTI prisoners in the prison have faced severe insults, physical violence, and acts of forced suicide due to their sexual orientation.

Allegation that they turned off body cameras and beat them

According to the allegations based on statements in the letters sent by the prisoners, on the night of May 8, prison guards entered the ward after turning off their body cameras. It is alleged that the officers, who shouted threats at the prisoners such as "Don't forget what happened to your friends in Sincan" and "We will kill you here," beat the prisoners to the point of vomiting blood. It was claimed that the prisoners' requests to go to the infirmary and obtain a medical report for the assault after the beating were rejected by the prison administration.

INCITEMENT TO SUICIDE IN THE CELL: "EITHER KILL YOURSELF OR WE WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD"

It was reported that one of the trans prisoners who complained after the incident was forced to withdraw the complaint under the threat of being sent to a male cell, and the other prisoner who did not withdraw the complaint was taken to a solitary confinement cell known as "H-upper" on May 13.

Other allegations included in the motion regarding the process were listed as follows:

It was alleged that a rope hung from the window and a razor blade were left in the cell where the prisoner was taken; and that the prison guards shouted from the door, "Kill yourself, let's get rid of faggots like you" and "Either you kill yourselves or we will make you wish you were dead every day.”

It was stated that the prisoner, unable to withstand the pressure, first injured himself with the razor blade and then attempted to end his life with the rope, but was saved at the last moment when prisoners in other wards heard the sounds and called for help.

It was reported that after returning to his ward following the suicide attempt, the prisoner was told that his broken television would be replaced in exchange for withdrawing his complaint and declaring that the officers were not at fault in the incident; and that he was threatened with the restriction of his phone rights and being exiled if he did not accept.

8 CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR MINISTER OF JUSTICE AKIN GÜRLEK

In addition to her press statement in Parliament, Sevda Karaca submitted a written parliamentary question to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek to answer. Stating that the shield of impunity in prisons must be broken, Karaca directed the following questions to the Ministry:

1) Has an investigation been initiated by your Ministry regarding the allegations of assault, torture, hate speech, and incitement to suicide at Eskişehir Prison?

2) Have the corridor camera recordings from the night of May 8, when the prisoners were allegedly beaten, been examined? Is the allegation that the officers turned off their body cameras true?

3) Who gave the order to prevent the prisoners who were vomiting blood from being taken to the infirmary and to prevent them from obtaining an assault report?

4) Who placed the rope and razor blade in the "H-upper" cell where the complaining prisoner was taken? Is it within the knowledge of the administration that cutting tools entered this cell, which has no cameras?

5) Have the prison guards who incited the prisoner to suicide and threatened him been identified? Have these personnel been suspended?

6) Will sanctions be applied against the prison administration that promised a television in exchange for having the prisoner sign a false petition and blocked his phone rights?

7) Will an urgent step be taken to ensure the safety of these prisoners who are crying out, "We do not want to die"?

8) What is the number of applications made in Turkish prisons in the last 5 years due to discrimination based on sexual orientation? How many personnel have been punished? How many of the prisoners who committed suicide are LGBTI individuals?