Country of origin information report Turkey March 2007

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12.03 As noted in the International Centre for Prison Studies Prison Brief for Turkey (website information last updated on 14 December 2005), in 2005 the number of establishments/institutions was 446. The official capacity of prison system was 70,131 (at 31 October 2005) while the total prison population (including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners) totalled 65,458 at 01 August 2006 with 47.7 percent pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners. [78]
12.04 As recorded in the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT/TIHV) document ‘Human Rights in Turkey in 2005’, issued on 29 December 2005:
“6 persons started death fast in 2005. According to the figures of Documentation Centre at least 10 persons died in the prisons due to illness, suicide, burning or fights. 233 persons who were released from prisons in 2005 applied to our rehabilitation centres. Most of the applicants were suffering results of isolation and conditions in the prisons…The severe conditions in the prisons could not be improved, political prisoners were subjected to isolation.” [83a]
12.05 The USSD 2005 report noted that:
“Conditions in many prisons remained poor. Underfunding, overcrowding, and insufficient staff training were problems. Some inmates convicted for nonviolent, speech related offenses were held in high-security prisons. Observers reported that the government made significant improvements in the food provided in the prisons, although there was a lack of potable water in some facilities. According to the medical association, there were insufficient doctors, and psychologists were available only at some of the largest prisons. Some inmates claimed they were denied appropriate medical treatment for serious illness. Despite the existence of separate juvenile facilities, at times juveniles and adults were held in adjacent wards with mutual access. Some observers reported that detainees and convicts were sometimes held together.” [5b] (Section 1c)