Koerden worden weer ernstig gemarteld in Turkse gevangenissen

A news report in Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet has brought to light a return to forms of torture widely used on political prisoners in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s. In the news piece, Human Rights Association (IHD) lawyer Gülseren Yoleri reports that electrocution and hanging from different body parts are being used on prisoners in the Kurdish southeast. “We went to Şırnak and Nusaybin with an 18 person IHD delegation. We were told of the torture at detention centres. Those who were tortured said, ‘old forms of torture are back. It’s as if they had hidden away old torture instruments used for electrocution and hanging and brought them out [to use on us]’. Our lawyer friends are following up on the issue. Life has turned into torture in the [Kurdish] region. People are living among ruins. Everything has been destroyed. The sound of gunfire and work machines dominate everything. Neighbourhoods are besieged by armored vehicles.” People can be detained for up to 30 days without access to a lawyer during state of emergency rule in Turkey. Human rights groups including Amnesty International have reported a steep rise in rights violations and torture following the failed coup attempt in Turkey. Electroction, hanging from different body parts, pulling out of nails, use of pressurised water, unleashing dogs on prisoners and other forms of systematic torture have been used especially on Kurdish and leftist political prisoners on a wide scale in Turkey. The most horrific cases of torture were experienced in Diyarbakir Prison following the 1980 military coup.

In Kurdish Prisoners Electrocuted, Hanged as Turkey Returns to ‘Old Forms of Torture (Kurdishquestion)