‘How many prisoners died of COVID-19 in Turkey?’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has submitted Parliamentary questions regarding the violation of rights in Düzce Type T Closed Prison and İskenderun Type T Prison.

Addressing two separate Parliamentary questions to Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül, CHP's Tanrıkulu has attracted attention to the aggrievement of prisoners amid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"As of October 1, 2020, how many people tested positive for COVID-19 in Düzce Type T Closed Prison," Tanrıkulu has asked the Minister and posed the following questions regarding Düzce Prison:

"It is alleged that six people complain about having dry cough, sore throat and loss of appetite in a 15-person ward. Is this allegation true?

"How many people in total lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the prison? Of the deceased, how many of them were prison personnel and how many of them were arrestees and convicts?

"How many applications were made to your Ministry regarding the grievances stemming COVID-19? How were these applications concluded? Can you indicate them separately by subjects?

"As of October 1, how many arrestees and convicts in total tested positive for COVID-19 and how many of them died of the virus across Turkey? Can you indicate the number of prisons separately by districts and provinces?"

Tanrıkulu has also brought the alleged violations of rights in İskenderun Type T Prison into Parliamentary agenda:

"It is alleged that arrestees and convicts have not been provided with hot water in İskenderun Type T Prison for 11 days. Is it true?

"It is further alleged that following the above-mentioned allegation, the relatives of arrestees and convicts tried to contact the prison administration; however, they hung up on them. Is this allegation true?

"How many applications have been made to your Ministry regarding the failure of prisons to provide prisoners with water or hot water? What is their distribution by provinces? Which prisons have the indicated water shortage?

"Are there any efforts on the part of your Ministry to ensure the elimination of natural and human elements standing in the way of access to water and hot water in a period when we struggle against COVID-19?" (RT/SD)