STRUGGLES

The worst torture is the way that people speak to us. When they torture us they have a song: 'I will die for
Turkey'. When you are released from prison, whenever you hear this song, you remember the torture.
That’s why they use this song.”
We spoke to a human rights lawyer about the current situation in Turkish prisons. He said:
“The situation is no better now. Recently they sent fourteen prisoners from Şırnak to Wan prison. These
ill prisoners are very sick and they have put them all in the same cell. It is a form oftorture because all of
them are dying. There was a guard in prison who broke the hands oftwo prisoners. After we found out, he
was sent to the children’s prison in Wan. This guard – his name is Alparen and he is a member ofthe
BBP fascist party - said that he will break the children’s hands too. He still works in the children's prison.
There is a man called Hasan Aslan who's 80 years old. They evacuated his village in 1992 and sentenced
him to life in prison. His health is really bad and he is going to die. He has spent twenty-three years in
prison. He has asthma and he cannot see or hear properly. He cannot walk. There is a state organisation
that decides whether you are fit enough to stay in prison or not and gives reports as to whether someone is
ill. Hasan went a few times but they never gave him the report. He didn’t know Turkish so he couldn’t
express himself.”
Prosecuted for insulting president Erdoğan
Turkish journalist and conscientious objector Onur Erem is facing over two
years in jail for allegedly insulting Turkish leaders. The charges were made after
he published an interview with UK activist Tariq Ali. Onur asked Ali what he
thought about recent statements made by Erdoğan and Davutoğlu about the
October 2015 bombing in Ankara. Ali said: "This is such incoherent rubbish that I'm
amazed these two jokers are still in the government." Because Ali used the word 'joker'
the prosecutor has asked for a 14 to 28 month prison sentence.
The second charge arises out ofan article that Onur wrote about the fact that the
Google search engine associates the Turkish words for 'thief' and 'murderer' with
Erdoğan and the AKP. 'Thiefand murderer Erdoğan!' and 'Thiefand murderer
AKP!' are popular slogans at demonstrations. This alleged insult to the president
carries a sentence ofbetween one and five years in prison.
Onur's work can be found on onurerem.com, and articles by Onur can also be
found on Bir Gün: birgun.net
Follow Onur on Twitter: @onurerem
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