TURKEY: Prison groups fight 'coffin cells'

LONDON — London-based activist group Oztudak, the Freedom Prisoners Solidarity Committee, has launched a campaign against the Turkish government's use of isolation cells, in particularly the infamous "coffin cells" introduced by the Turkish ministry of defence in August.

Oztudak says the isolation cells are specially reserved for Turkey's anti-fascist activists who have dared to struggle against the oppressive government, beginning after the military's September 1980 coup.

Oztudak estimates that nearly 10,000 political prisoners are being subjected to suppression of basic human rights, denial of medical treatment, beatings, torture and armed attacks by prison guards.

Among the cases it is publicising is a January 4, 1996 attack by soldiers and guards on political prisoners at Umraniye Prison in Istanbul. Three political prisoners were killed and 86 were wounded.

Five months later, on May 20, 1996 more than 1500 political prisoners in 33 prisons began a 69-day hunger strike to protest against plans to transfer political prisoners to maximum-security total isolation prisons and deteriorating conditions in Turkish dungeons. Twelve political prisoners were martyred between July 21 and 29 and dozens were left with permanent physical and mental injuries.

On September 26 1999 Turkish police mounted an armed attack against the political prisoners in Ankara Central Prison in which 10 prisoners died and more than 80 were injured. On July 5, special response teams and gendarme attacked prisoners in Burdur, injuring 41.

German-based groups Committee for Solidarity with the Political Prisoners (Detudak) and Committee for Struggle Against Torture Through Isolation (IKM) also campaign for dignified conditions in prison, release, closure of coffin cells, fair trial and prisoner support for Turkish political prisoners in Turkey and European prisons.

These groups request international support. Contact Oztudak by email <londonoztudak@mail5.btinternet.com>, Detudak by email <Detudak@gmx.de>, IKM by email <ikm.london@yahoo.com> or on the web at <http://www.noisolation.de>.

BY LYNDA HANSEN

From GLW issue 427