CPTs Report on F-Type Prisons is Incomplate

The Istanbul Department of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Committee for Prisons, criticized the 24 April 2002 dated report, by the European Committee for Preventing Torture (CPT), with a "counter report." CPT's report was on Turkey's maximum-security prison system, the F-type prisons. Ahmet Tamer, a member of the Istanbul Department of the IHD Committee for Prisons said in his statement:

CPT is falling behind the standards

* CPT's stance on F-type prisons has not been a favorable stance up to today. The committee has personally suggested this architectural structure for prisons, aiming at and making easier isolation, and supported steps taken towards bringing it to life.

* CPT has advocated a relatively progressive attitude against the state's practices that have turned the prisons into a mortal hotbed especially in the last 20 years. However, when the international and universal standards are taken into account, CPT's stance is quite backwards. For that reason, their evaluation in the report about the present condition is incomplete.

The rights should be advocated without bargaining

* Opposing the isolation by the F-type prisons , CPT is suggesting that nine people be brought together for an hour and a half-long periods. Such an implementation would partially break down the isolation. But when the international standards, that advocate that the prisoners should come together in groups except bedtime, are considered, this is a very backward suggestion.

* A human rights organization should advocate basic rights completely and without bargaining. But CPT chose to spread these rights on the cloudy steps of a bargaining period in an approach that quite resembles the approach of the Justice Ministry.

* CPT was also deficient in accurately evaluating the "massacre" on December 19, 2000. It advocated a completely adverse argument, saying that most of the deaths were caused of self-sacrificing acts. Also, CPT did not touch on infringements.

* The report prepared by CPT did not touch on things like: the limitations on getting books, major restrictions on self defending rights, the inadequacy of food supplies, the ban on walkmans, the fact that the prisoners have to pay for medicine, the arbitrary disciplinary punishments,

* the fact that execution magistracy is useless, that the civil supervision establishments are not formed, the insufficient contact with the outer world, and the prevention on sending and receiving letters. (HA/NK/EA/NM)