AMED - Prisoners in Kırşehir High Security Prison were banned from family visits for 4 months due to the "food" protest and 20 months due to the "pressure and attack" protests.

 

Ozgur Sevim, who is being held in Kırşehir High Security Prison, told about the practices and pressures in prison in a phone call with his mother on  1 April. Sevim stated that as a result of the disciplinary investigation initiated against them for the protests they organised, they were banned from visiting their families for 4 months and from seeing them for 20 months. 

 

Ozgur Sevim's mother Behiye Sevim said, "They were banned from family visits for 4 months because they protested against the administration for the bad prison food. As soon as this punishment was over, the punishment of 20 months family visit ban was put into effect even before the visit. My son stated that they wanted to meet wth the families before the second disciplinary punishment was inisitiated, but they were not accepted."

 

'SPEAK TURKISH' IMPOSITION

 

Behiye Sevim said, "When my son called me, he told me that the prison forces prisoners to speak Turkish during family visits and phone calls. Also, an investigation was opened against Faik Bulut's book 'Diplomacy in Kurdish History', which we sent to my son, and the book was not given to him. There are many problems in prison. The food is not eaten, the water is not drunk. My son says that he spends at least 100 TL a month for drinking water. No matter how many MPs and lawyers went to the prison for the problems in the prison, no problem was solved."

 

Behiye Sevim reminded the "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" made by Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February and said, "On the one hand they say 'peace' and on the other hand they continue their isolation policies. They both say 'peace' and at the same time impose bans on the Leader and prisoners and impose unlawful punishments. This is not a peace approach, but a policy of deception and persecution. I am calling out to all mothers here, let's join hands."

 

ABOUT OZGUR SEVIM

 

Ozgur Sevim was arrested after being detained on 31 May 2016 during curfew in Nusaybin (Nisebîn) district of Mardin (Mêrdîn). Sevim was tried on Mardin Heavy Penal Court No 4 sand sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and 15 years for "disrupting the unity and integrity of the country", "intentional killing", "damaging public property" and "unauthorised possession and handling of dangerous substances". The sentence was approved by the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation on 11 October 2022.