Prison guards in Turkey's west 'subjected inmates to strip searches'

Duvar English

A prison in western Bandırma subjected inmates to strip searches, a form of violence, and prevented them from practicing their rights, Turkey's Human Rights and Equality Institution (TİHEK) said in a report based on a visit to the prison on March 12, 2020. 

Inmates brought into the prison after their convictions or arrests, from hospital, court or prison transfers, have all been forced to replace their tops and bottoms with prison clothes as part of strip searches, TİHEK said.

Some inmates were forced to strip without being offered anything to put on instead, the report added.  

Strip searches are unfortunately common practices in Turkey, most recently coming into the public agenda in the context of the revelations of deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, who became the target of attacks by the government who wished to downplay the practice. 

The Bandırma Prison reportedly issued disciplinary punishments to 484 inmates in 2020, when the population of the prison decreased from 1,380 to 1,098 as a result of a probation law installed as a COVID-19 precaution. 

Meanwhile, some 12 officers of the prison were investigated in disciplinary proceedings that were launched as a result of inmate grievances. 

Officers reportedly issued 137 write-ups, 109 time-out punishments, 58 visitor bans and 173 solitary confinements in 2020, some but not all of the 484 disciplinary measures issued to inmates.

Extracurricular activities in the prison were also reportedly canceled six months ago, TİHEK said, and the inmates' only option for activity was sports, aside from the religious content provided by the prison administration. 

The prison reportedly held a conference titled "The Life of our Prophet" and employed four clerics assigned by Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet).