Unable to visit son in prison for five years
Photo: The mother and son in a visit years ago
Click to read the article in Turkish
Zennure Şahinkaya lives in İstanbul. Her son, Mecit Şahinkaya who was sentenced to 11 years, 9 months and 20 days of imprisonment, is in Van High Security Prison since 2016. Van is 1700 kilometers away from İstanbul.
Mother Şahinkaya wrote to bianet and described the problems they are facing. She has 78 percent disability and unable to go and visit her son for the last 5 years.
"My son did not submit to injustices in the prison and therefore he was sent from Metris prison to Tekirdağ, from Tekirdağ to Kandıra and in 2016 from Kandıra to Van, 1700 kilometers away from where we live.
I am lame in one foot, and the gristles are worn out in the other foot. I cannot stand for more than five minutes. I have illnesses at my heart, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and bone thinning. I have difficulty using my both arms because my nervous system very weak. I have a report saying that I am 78 percent disabled. The doctors banned me from travelling long distances because it will be life critical. I cannot go and visit my son for the last five years. And my son is not allowed to visit me since I am not confined to bed."
Release on probation is being prevented
Zennure Şahinkaya told bianet that their requests for transfer to a closer prison were always rejected.
"Our requests for transfer to a prison in the city that we live or the surrounding cities have always been rejected, although we have offered to pay for the cost. I was hoping that I would see him when it was time for release on probation but they are creating new difficulties all the time."
Mecit Şahinkaya won the right to release on probation on October 19, 2022. But his right was not granted the right on grounds of the disiplinary punishments he received.
His mother is stating that not only his right to release but his right to education is also being violated since he took the university exam and deserved to study at the Marmara University journalism department in 2021.
He completed open education faculty sociology department and took the post graduate entering exams and deserved the right to do his post graduate studies in all universities in Turkey with the points he made. His right to education is being prevented since he is not released.
"It is difficult to get a spoon or a fork"
Mecit Şahinkaya had written to bianet before where he said, "We go to court even in order to use our most basic rights granted to us with regulations."
"It is even difficult to get a fork or spoon. The food given to our friends who are ill is of low quality and not sufficient. The things we need are not being sold at the prison canteen although we request them.
(AS/PE)