More than 40 imprisoned children in the Adana Kürkçüler E Type Closed Prison, known for its officials’ rights violations, tortures, and arbitrary policies, were exiled to other prisons after being beaten and tortured.
The events began when the sister of a child prisoner Y.D. said hello to another prisoner during the open visit of May 19. İHD Adana Branch’s Law Commission visited the prison after the incident, but was barred from seeing the tortured children.
İHD Adana Branch Co-President İlhan Öngör stated that human rights violations have been common practice in the Adana Kürkçüler E Type Closed Prison, and noted that the branch had prepared two reports on these violations and shared them with the public so far. Öngör noted that an investigation on prison guards was launched after the release of these report, but the targeting of child prisoners continued and intensified. Öngör said that guards mistreated Y.D. during an argument that took place during the visit of Y.D.’s family.
Öngör stated that guards also beat other prisoners that objected to the treatment of Y.D., and the prison administration put all members of the B21ward were moved to another cell with no beds where they were beaten all night long. The warden of the prison refused to meet with the lawyers on the branch’s law commission, who had requested to meet and discuss the incident.
Öngör emphasized that the more than 40 children were exiled to prisons in Konya, Elazığ, Maraş and other cities around 04:00 on May 21 after being tortured, which will make it harder for their families to visit them since all the families live in Adana. Öngör stated that the torture and exile of child prisoners violated several human rights and had a negative impact on the children’s psychologies. Lastly, Öngör called upon everyone to raise their voices against the torture of children in Adana.