Suspicious Death in Adana F-Type Prison Brought to Parliamentary Agenda
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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Adana MP Danış Beştaş has submitted a parliamentary inquiry regarding the suspicious death of the 24 year-old prisoner Mehmet Kil, who lost his life in Kürkçüler F-Type Prison in Adana.
In the parliamentary inquiry submitted the Speakership of Parliament in order to be responded by the Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül yesterday (October 26), Beştaş asked whether any action had been taken to investigate the prison administration and its employees.
Application submitted to Prosecutor's Office
In the inquiry, the statement of Kil's brother has been quoted, that the guardians had been threatening Kil with death recently, that he had been exposed to immense repression and that the wards was being searched with police at nights.
Kil's brother also stated that following Kil's funeral, Anti-Terror Department police in armoured vehicles arrived at their houses saying:
"PKK members on the mountains or in prison, to us it makes no difference, he is a terrorist.
In the light of these information, an application was submiteed to the Prosecutor's Office to investigate teh cause of Kil's death and collect evidence.
"Has any action been taken to investigate the suspicious death?"
Danış Beştaş asked Minister Gül the following questions:
* Have you been informed about the suspicious incident in the prison, that is claimed to be a suicide?
* Has an investigation been launched into the prison administration and its employees?
* Have you carried out any examination regarding the suspicious incident in the prison, identified as suicide?
* Is it true, that Mehmet Kill, that there was an immense pressure against the visitors in prison, the guardians had been threatening Kill and the other prisoners in the ward with death and used expressions such as "Only your dead body can leave here"? Has any action been taken in order to investigate this claim?
* Based upon the fact that the guardians did use expressions such as "Only your dead body can leave here" against the imprisoners, what does the suspicion on Kill's death point to?
* Who is responsible for the safety of the lives of the people in prison? Who is accountable for this death incident in Adana Kürkçüler Prison?
* Who is accountable for the suicides that happen under repressive conditions where prisoners are being threatened with death? Can such cases be considered as "just" suicides?
* Have the camera recordings regarding Mehmet Kill's death been examined? What do the findings show?
280 suspicious deaths in last 6 years
According to a statement of the Ministry of Justice, 1,734 people have lost their lives between 2002-2012.
Again, according to the data of the Ministry of Justice, in the last six years, 280 prisoners have lost their lives under suspicious conditions, claimed to be suicides.
Human Rigths Foundation has announced in a statement issued at the beginning of August, 2017, that there were 1,025 sick prisoners behind bars, 357 of which suffered severe illnesses. (AS/DG)