HEDEP MPs meet with Justice Minister regarding rights violations in prisons
Deputies of the opposition People’s Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP), Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, on Nov. 14 met with Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç regarding human rights violations in the country's prisons.
Ceren Bayar / Gazete Duvar
Deputies Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder from Turkey’s opposition People’s Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) on Nov. 14 met with Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç about human rights violations in the Turkish carceral system.
Both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and HEDEP denied reportings regarding this meeting, which claimed the parties were engaging in back-channel diplomacy in the period leading up to the local elections.
HEDEP co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan stated that the topic of the Justice Minister meeting was sick prisoners.
Deputies Buldan and Önder presented the report on rights violations in Turkish prisons prepared by HEDEP’s Prison Commission and informed the minister on the issue.
The deputies discussed with the minister the status of severely ill prisoners, arbitrary punishments in prisons, and cases where prisoners are not released although their conditional release is approved.
(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)