Juveniles detained in the Diyarbakır E Type Prison who protested against the fact that their sick fellow inmates were not taken to the hospital were all punished for their protest by the prison management. The young prisoners are convicted and imprisoned in the scope of the controversial Anti-Terror Law (TMK).

Özgeder, the Association for Solidarity with Young People Deprived of Freedom, sent a letter to the Directorate for Prisons and Detention Houses within the Ministry of Justice to make an inquiry about the children that participated in the protest action.

No reply for torture inquiry

The letter said, "We were informed that the children were punished heavily and that officials applied physical violence from time to time. We also learnt that they were sent to neighbouring provinces". Özgeder requested according information.

The Directorate for Prisons and Detention Houses did not respond to the allegations of "torture" in their written reply. The juveniles who had joined the protest were called "criminals". The letter furthermore put forward that they damaged public property.

The reply also mentioned the referring report of the Diyarbakır Public Chief Prosecution:

* On 3 May 2010, juveniles in two cells protested because the medical treatment of some inmates was delayed and because of some administrative implementations. They made a riot by breaking things in the cells, damaging the walls and harming themselves. The report stated that the riot was brought to an end by the intervention of the public administration.

* A disciplinary investigation was launched into the detainees in both cells because of the riot and the damage of public property. As a result, the prisoners were punished by closing their cells which was approved by the Diyarbakır Enforcement Judgeship based on the punishment enforcement law.

* An administrative and a judiciary investigation were launched into the juveniles who were involved in damaging public property. The judiciary investigation is still pending.

* The institution's administration requested to transfer the juveniles who were involved in the incident to other institutions for disciplinary reasons. According to the order of the Directorate for Prisons and Detention Houses, the prisoners were transferred to neighbouring penalty institutions. It was understood that none of the imprisoned juveniles involved in the incident remained in the Diyarbakır E Type Prison. (SP/VK)