Info On Uprising In Turkish Prison

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at etext.org>
Subject: Info On Uprising In Turkish Prison By Left-Wing Prisoners

ISKD Newsletter - September 20-October 25, 1995 (An Excerpt)

(The following is an account of the resistance by political
prisoners in September - ATS)

Assassination At Izmir Buca Closed Prison

Sources: Newspapers, TIHV Bulletins, an essay written by a
prisoner, the statement of a prisoner from the 6th Ward, the
autopsy report of Turan Kilic prepared by Forensic Medicine,
"Urgent Action News", the e-mail conference of Amnesty
International.
     On September 19, 1995, the left wing prisoners, except for
those from PKK, refused to come out of their wards for role-call
at Izmir Buca Closed Prison in order to demand an improvement in
prison conditions and a halt to ill-treatment and torture of
inmates. The prisoners' action was broken with a bloody
intervention on September 22, 1995.
     The tension between the prison administration and prisoners
had begun on July 17 by the escape of four DHKP-C (violent
illegal revolutionary organization) prisoners. Prisoners can
cause only a limited and temporary improvement in prison
conditions, which are quite bad in general, at the end of long
hunger strikes. The last hunger strike at Buca Prison was occured
in February 1995. But, on the cover of the escape on July 17, the
rights which were gained by hunger strikes, were taken back step
by step by the prison administration. Ill-treatment and beating
became an ordinary event during the way to courts and hospitals.
On July 20, following the escape of four prisoners, 20 inmates,
who protested at searches of their shoes when being taken to
court, were severely beaten on their way to Izmir State Security
Court. Many prisoners were injured severely and their health
situation was reported in the court records. Although the hearing
was postponed and the Court decided the prisoners to be taken to
Forensic Medicine, the gendarmes took them back to prison. Later,
only some of the injured prisoners were taken to hospital.
Standing the court records and health situation reports the
lawyers appealed to the Public Prosecutor Office to demand the
gendarmes be judged. But, the authorities remained silent and no
inquiries were opened into the event. This prepared the ground of
the later assassination at Izmir Buca Prison.
     On August 28, the prisoners sent a petition, that explains
the actual situation in the prison, to the Izmir Bar Association
and NGO's. Due to the fact that the prison administration closed
the ways of dialogue, on September 11 the prisoners started to
refuse to come out of their wards for evening role-call in order
to press the administration to halt to ill-treatment and torture
of inmates. This action was a simple and clear form of civil
disobedience. On September 19 they started to refuse the morning
role-call, too. As a reply to the action, the prison
administration prevented the prisoners to go to refectory and
open air. On the same day, the lawyers who went to see their
clients were not allowed by the prison administration. The
lawyers appealed to Izmir Bar of Lawyers with the reason that
their right of defence was prevented by the prison
administration. On September 20 and the day after the lawyers
were prevented to enter the prison, too.
     On September 22 the gendarmes started an intervention in
order to make role-call with force in the Wards 1, 3, 4, 6, 7.
The inmates in the 6th Ward, where the DHKP-C prisoners stay,
barricaded the door with beds and wardrobes. The gendarmes, who
were not able to enter into the 6th Ward, dug through the roof of
the ward and threw gas, smoke and sound bombs. Then they managed
to destroy the barricades and took the prisoners out and beat
them with truncheons, metal sticks and fetters. The intervention
which occured like a lynch mob, continued for four hours. During
the intervention some parts of the prison caught on fire.

     As a result of the intervention, 3 prisoners, Turan Kilic,
Yusuf Bag and Ugur Sariaslan, died. 46 prisoners, 15 of whom were
seriously injured, were taken to hospital. 15 gendarmes and four
guards were also injured or poisoned because of bombs during the
event. After the intervention the gendarme units left the prison
with the slogans: "Long Live Turkey!" and "Everything is for
Country!".
     According to the information received from medical workers,
the beating of prisoners continued during their way to hospital
and even in the hospital. The civil and uniformed security forces
surrounded the hospital and prevented the entry. The gendarme and
other security forces interfered with the doctors and other
medical workers in the Emergency Service.
     Later the prisoners mentioned that in the hospital even the
ones who had fractures at arms and legs were chained to the beds
and taunted by security forces and a small part of the medical
staff took part in the ill-treatment. The Union of Doctors of
Turkey (TTB) opened an inquiry into the event.
     On September 23 the autopsies were made. In Turan Kilic's
autopsy report, which was signed by three doctors from Forensic
Medicine and a prosecutor, it was mentioned that the victim died
because of fracture in skull and cerebral haemorhage. His lawyer
said that due to the fact that his face was completely injured,
he could not identify Turan Kilic's corpse when he first saw it.
     In the morning of September 23 the members of prisoners'
families and representatives of medical and human rights
organizations gathered in front of the Buca Prison but were
dispersed by the security forces. Due to the fact that a new
intervention might be done in the other wards which were still
resisting; the families, NGO representatives and lawyers gathered
in front of the prison again in the afternoon. After a while the
group made a press statement and then the security forces
attacked. 54 persons, 12 of whom were lawyers, were beaten and
detained. During the event the soldiers at the main entrance
supported the Mobile Force (Anti-Riot Police) with slogans. 15
persons were seriously injured.
     The detainees were taken to court on September 24. During
the hearing the police attacked to people who had come to support
the detainees. Three persons were injured.
     The negotiations between the prisoners and authorities from
Ministry for Justice continued on September 23 and 24. Members of
management board of Izmir Bar Association mediated the
negotiations. On September 25 some other lawyers who had clients
in the prison, were accepted to the negotiations and played an
important role in mediation. On the same day the conflict was
resolved and the prisoners gave up their refusal to the
role-calls.
     On September 25, a committee was established by the
families,  NGO representatives and lawyers in order to be in
solidarity with the prisoners and observe the developments. The
committee organized a demonstration in which 500 people
participated. On the day after the families made a press
statement in front of the prison and the security forces did not
interfere.
     On September 28, a group of 10 militants from DHKP-C raided
and occupied the Istanbul Bar Association for four hours in order
to protest the assassination in the Buca Prison. On the same day
the soldiers who were on duty in front of the Istanbul Provincal
Gendarme Regiment, were murdered in an armed attack. DHKP-C made
a statement and claimed the attack. In their statement it was
declared that the attack was made in order to retaliate for the
assasination in the Buca Prison.

---------------------------------------------------------
IZMIR WAR RESISTERS' ASSOCIATION - ISKD
1468 Sok. No:14 ALsancak - IZMIR / TURKEY
Tel: + 90 - 232 - 464 24 92
Fax: + 90 - 232 - 464 08 42
---------------------------------------------------------

Forwarded from : OSI at INFO-IST.comlink.de (OSSI)



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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based
in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of
material, including political prisoners, national liberation
struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight
against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings,
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called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact:

Arm The Spirit
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