Pandemic in Turkey’s prisons | ‘36 people stay in a quarantine ward’

* Photo: Pixabay

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Civil Society in the Penal System Association (CİSST) has released its monthly report on prisoners' complaints amid the pandemic.

Covering the period of December 1-31, 2021, the report has been prepared based on the COVID-19 related complaints reported to the association via its hotline and by letters. The information about the prisons and prisoners have been kept confidential in preparing the report.

Since the pandemic broke out in March 2020, applications have been made to the CİSST from 184 different prisons; while 130 of them are closed penal institutions, 54 are open penal institutions.

Concerns about infection in quarantine

The December 2021 report of the CİSST has listed the following complaints of prisoners about the condition of quarantine wards:

"There are generally increasing concerns among all prisoners about being referred to hospital as they are concerned that their risk of catching the virus will increase when they stay in quarantine for 14 days upon their return from hospital. 

"The prisoners who cannot sustain their lives on their own do not want to be referred to hospital as they do not know how they will meet their needs in quarantine.

"The seriously ill prisoners who have to go to hospital are kept in quarantine upon their return from hospital and the prisoners who cannot meet their needs on their own are having several problems.

"The ill prisoners who have to be under observation and cannot stay on their own according to medical reports keep on being held in quarantine wards alone, they are not provided with any healthcare services and their regular health checks are not done.

"In some quarantine wards, some ill prisoners cannot adequately benefit from the necessary healthcare services.

"In some prisons, the period of quarantine of the prisoners staying in quarantine wards increases due to new arrivals in the quarantine ward; even though they test negative for the virus, they are forced to stay in quarantine for periods much longer than 15 days.

No ventilation, no clean air

"In some prisons, ventilation is arbitrarily opened late and closed early; its closure minimizes the clean air opportunities.

"In some prisons, quarantine wards are not hygienic, they are not cleaned or adequately ventilated even though complaints are submitted to prison administrations.

"In some prisons, the prisoners held in quarantine are not allowed to go out for fresh air or they are held in areas with no ventilation; for this reason, the quarantine conditions are applied as isolation.

Blood, urine stains on beds, bed sheets

"In some prisons, the quarantine areas are arranged as wards and prisoners stay there in large groups of 26-36 people.

"In some prisons, quarantine wards are over capacity, prisoners stay in close bunks or lie on the floor.

"In some prisons, there are blood and urine stains on beds and bed sheets and they are not changed.

No right to information in quarantine

"In some prisons, the quarantined prisoners' basic needs such as newspaper, radio, TV, book and tea urn are not met.

"In some prisons, the radios bought by prisoners from the penal institution's canteen with their own money are seized and the right to get information is minimized as the access to AM band is blocked.

"In some prisons, the prisoners who are held in quarantine due to a suspected COVID-19 case or measures cannot access their right to make a phone call and to have fresh air compared to other prisoners.

"The conditions of some ill prisoners have deteriorated due to the negative impacts of the quarantine conditions." (AS/SD)

* Click here for the full report (in Turkish)