Turkish prison administration denies inmate his own book written in prison

A Turkish prison administration refused to permit inmate Mehmet Alçınkaya's autobiography book, penned during his time in prison, to be given to him citing its "motivational and educational content.”

Friday April 12 2024 01:05 pm

Duvar English

The administration of Kandıra Prison in western Kocaeli province has not allowed prisoner Mehmet Alçınkaya to be given his autobiography book titled "Always in the Fight,” which he wrote in prison.

The administration cited the book's "motivational and educational content" as the reason for denial.

According to the reporting of the Mesopotamia Agency (MA), Alçınkaya, who has been imprisoned in Kandıra Prison for 5 years, said in his letter, "My autobiography book, in which I wrote about my 45 years of political struggle and my memories starting from my childhood, was published in February. They have not delivered me the book I wrote for more than a month. Every time I asked the prison administration and the education unit, I was told that it was being examined, and finally, the education unit said that the book was examined by the prison director.”

Alçınkaya noted that the book reached many inmates in other prisons and they started to read it.

Alçınkaya said the Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Kocaeli deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioglu called the prison director to talk about this issue and added, "The director did not pick up the phone like when he was called for other issues. Gergerlioğlu then called the Justice Ministry and spoke to the deputy minister to express the arbitrary behavior of the prison director.

Alçınkaya stated that he administration has finally rejected his petition submitted just before Eid and the administration has cited the book's "motivational and educational content" as the reason for denial.

"It seems that they are uncomfortable with the return of dungeons to production areas and are trying to obstruct it. My response to those who cannot tolerate our persistence in fighting, producing, and thinking: 'My struggle has always been within the fight from yesterday to today,'" Alçınkaya underscored in his letter to the MA.

Previously, Kırıkkale Closed Prison Administration did not also give inmate Resul Kocatürk his book titled "22 Days in the Asylum - Sick Inmates on the Cross," because it was considered as "harmful.” Kocatürk has been imprisoned in the institution for 28 years.