Information on Turkish military prisons is scarce and limited to scattered references often lacking in details about the prisons and the conditions in them. Nonetheless, where any description was found among the sources consulted, the information is provided. Furthermore, several sources approached for information, including Amnesty International, the Association of Solidarity with the Families of Prisoners, The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Human Rights Association of Turkey and War Resisters' International, did not respond within time constraints.

Military Courts

Turkish military courts have jurisdiction over military personnel and "civilians in areas of martial law," which includes offences against military institutions (UN Sept. 2001). According to Country Reports 2002, "[m]ilitary courts, with their own appeals system, hear cases involving military law, for members of the armed forces, and could try civilians who are accused of impugning the honor of the armed forces or undermining compliance with the draft" (31 Mar. 2003, Sec. 1e).

A memo from War Resisters' International to Movimento d'Objeccio de Consciencia (MOC) Valencia, on the MOC Website is as follows:

The military courts in Turkey are by no means independent. The military judges are under military orders and therefore are not free to judge. Also the accused are under military orders during the trial sessions. It often happens that accused are ordered not to have contacts with a lawyer. It is estimated that because of this practice, in 90 per cent of the cases brought before a military court the accused have had no contact with a lawyer and have not been represented by a lawyer at the trial (12 June 1995).

According to the country assessment on Turkey prepared by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the United Kingdom, "[t]he enforcement of final judgments in cases relating to evasion of military service (including desertion) takes place in military prisons if the sentence is six months or less ..." (Apr. 2003, sec. 5.83).

General Conditions in Military Prisons

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) stated that it is difficult to obtain information on military prisons and "hence we [HRFT] have so far failed to observe and document the conditions there" (15 May 2003).

In March 2001, the IND went on a fact-finding mission to Turkey and in the section of its report on military service and the treatment of draft evaders stated only that "[m]ilitary prisons are run by the military and the prisoners are treated as soldiers" (17-23 Mar. 2001, 55).

Military Prisons in Turkey

The Research Directorate was able to find references in publicly available documents to 16 military prisons located across Turkey:

(1) Mamak Military Prison in Ankara (Milliyet 5 Mar. 2001; ibid. 3 Oct. 2001; Turkish Daily News 28 May 2002; Hurriyet 15 Feb. 2002; AI 1 Apr. 1997; TAYAD n.d., 11);

(2) in Eskisehir (WRI 1999);

(3) in Adana (ibid. 24 Jan. 2003; FBIS 30 Nov. 2002);

(4) Diyarbakir Military Prison (AKIN Oct. 1989; ibid. 6 Oct. 1997; TAYAD n.d., 12; Zana 1997, 3, 9);

(5) Umraniye Military Prison in Istanbul (Compass Direct 20 Nov. 1998);

(6) Metris Military Prison in Istanbul (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat 20 Dec. 2002; Milliyet 6 Nov. 2002; Turkish Daily News 12 Mar. 1997; TAYAD n.d., 13);

(7) Maltepe Military Prison in Istanbul (Turkish Daily News 4 July 2000; ibid. 3 Apr. 1999; Anatolia 16 June 2000);

(8) Davutpasa Military Prison (TAYAD n.d., 12);

(9) in Izmir (Turkish Daily News 24 Mar. 1999);

(10) Edirne Military Prison (ibid. 27 May 2001);

(11) in Afyon (ibid. 30 Jan. 1999);

(12) Hasdal Military Prison (ibid. 8 Dec. 2001; Anatolia 11 Sept. 2001);

(13) Gelibolu Military Prison (TAYAD n.d., 17);

(14) Kartal Military Prison in Istanbul (ibid., 21; Turkish Daily News 27 Nov. 1996);

(15) Selimiye Military Prison (ibid. 15 Apr. 1997); and

(16) Military Prison (ibid. 30 Jan. 1999).

Mamak Military Prison in Ankara

Amnesty International (AI) reported that, on 14 October 1996, conscientious objector Osman Murat Ülke "refused to put on a military uniform and to obey military orders" while in Mamak (1 Apr. 1997). For his "insubordination" he was placed in solitary confinement for five days (AI 1 Apr. 1997). Following the conclusion of his trial in late January 1997, in which he was convicted of "'alienating the public from the institution of military service' by publicly declaring his conscientious objection to military service and [of] burning his call-up papers in September 1995," Ülke was returned to Mamak, "where he could be visited by his lawyers the following day" (ibid.).

Nonviolent Activist is a magazine published by the War Resisters' League (WRL), an organization established in 1923 that educates and takes action to create a culture of non-violence, while emphasizing resistance to war and individual conscience (WRL n.d.). In its November-December 1996 issue, the magazine reported that Ülke was also the president of Izmir War Resisters' Association (ISKD) and that, while in solitary confinement, he was separated from other prisoners and kept in a dark, two-metre square cell that did not have a bed and was reportedly "rodent-infested" (Nonviolent Activist Nov.-Dec. 1996). In addition, water, sugar and salt "ordinarily provided [to] hunger strikers" was withheld from him (ibid.). After his solitary confinement Ülke was reportedly later moved into a rodent-free isolation room, equipped with a bed and light (ibid.).

Additional and more recent information on Mamak Military Prison in Ankara could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Eskisehir Military Prison

Osman Murat Ülke also served time in Eskisehir Military Prison (WRI 1999). He first arrived there in November 1997 and was made to live "in a small room full of people" (ibid.). In his own letter to Peace News magazine, Ülke wrote about having had discussions in a "relaxed way" on ethics, religion, anthropology, history, nationalism, psychology and "so on" with another prisoner (ibid.). In addition, he made mention of books that his friends from outside the prison had brought him (ibid.).

In a November 1997 open letter, a member of the Izmir War Resisters' Association (ISKD), Serdar Tekin, stated that, while Ülke had suffered "inhuman treatment" en route to Eskisehir from the prison in Bilecik, he did not suffer any "inhuman treatment" in Eskisehir (28 Nov. 1997). Tekin went on to say that the detention conditions in Eskisehir are "bad" and predicted that Ülke "will be punished in the prison because of his refusal to wear [a military] uniform. His time of open air will be limited or visitors will not be allowed, etc." (ibid.).

Additional and more recent information on Eskisehir Military Prison could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Military Prison in Adana

On 24 October 2002, Mehmet Bal, another conscientious objector, was arrested and taken to the military prison in Adana (HRFT Nov. 2002). According to his lawyer, Saun Coskun,

When he refused to wear prison clothes he had forcibly been dressed in uniform. ... "His hands were cuffed on the back, his hair was forcibly cut and someone beat him 5 to 6 times on his head with a hard tool. He was thrown into the cell with the handcuffs on. On 25 October my client started a hunger strike. On 30 October the prison director Durdu Solak attacked my client causing a 10 to 12 centimeter long wound to his leg. In addition, the director chained my client to the wall. During my first meeting with Mehmet Bal I saw that his hands were still handcuffed" (ibid.).

On 22 January 2003, Mehmet Bal was arrested again and the following day was transported to the military prison in Adana (WRI 24 Jan. 2003). The day he was transported his lawyers "were not allowed to see him" (ibid.).

Additional or more recent information on the military prison in Adana could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Diyarbakir Military Prison

According to Kani Xulam, the director of the American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN), Diyarbakir Military Prison "has a very somber, a very sad place in the history of the Kurdish struggle for civil rights, for political rights" (6 Oct. 1997). Information describing the methods of torture used at Diyarbakir on AKIN's Website states the following:

After the military coup of September 12, 1980 in Turkey and Kurdistan, thousands of Kurdish political activists were arrested and put in the Military Prison of Diyarbakir. Between 1980 and 1984, torture methods, much like those used by the Gestapo, were practiced upon them. During the period mentioned, 57 prisoners were killed by means of torture and hundreds of others were seriously crippled (Oct. 1989).

Please refer to the attachment entitled "'Moments/Methods of Torture': The Military Prison of Diyarbakir" for drawings sketched by a prisoner affiliated with the Kurdish liberation struggle and smuggled out of the prison, depicting the methods of torture used by officials at Diyarbakir during the early period following the September 1980 military coup.

Mehdi Zana, a "prominent figure in the Kurdish community" (AI Oct. 1996) and former mayor of the principal city of Turkish Kurdistan, Diyarbakir, was arrested on 24 September 1980, twelve days after the military coup in Turkey (Zana 1997, 3, 8-9). According to Zana, "I was imprisoned for ten years and eight months, under conditions that Europeans would find hard to imagine. ... My imprisonment was due to my having repeatedly taken positions in favor of ... the rights of Kurds" (ibid., 3). In the preface to the book entitled Prison No. 5: Eleven Years in Turkish Jails, which Zana wrote to share his experience, Elie Wiesel summarizes the treatment of prisoners by Diyarbakir Military Prison's authorities in the following terms: "[s]olitary confinement, guards' insults, the obligation to salute the captain's dog, the beatings, the sleep deprivation, the falaka, the fainting, the trampling, the electrodes attached to genitals, German shepherds trained to bite the private parts of naked prisoners" (Wiesel 1997, x-xi). Zana was able to relate the conditions he experienced over his long term of imprisonment because, as he put it, "[s]tarting in 1987, the regime became less severe. I was allowed writing paper. I kept a journal and tried to remember everything that we had endured" (ibid., 36). (For a detailed account of the treatment of prisoners by the authorities while in Diyarbakir Military Prison from 1980 to 1991, please refer to the attached excerpt from Zana's book.)

Additional or more recent information on Diyarbakir Military Prison could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Umraniye Military Prison

In October 2001, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found admissible, three claims made against the Turkish government by Soner Onder, a Syrian Catholic in Turkey who alleged that he was wrongly convicted of helping "Kurdish extremists firebomb an Istanbul department store on December 25, 1991" (Compass Direct 9 Oct. 2001). One of Onder's claims was that he had suffered ill-treatment while in detention (ibid.). Onder had been incarcerated in Istanbul's "high-security" Umraniye Military Prison since his conviction (ibid.). According to Compass Direct, at the time of its report,

[Onder] is currently being allowed visits from his family every 15 days. During the initial months of this year [2001], the jail was closed to visitation in the wake of massive prison riots last December that left 30 prisoners and two guards dead and Onder's own barracks destroyed by fire (ibid.).

Information on whether the Turkish government responded to the ECHR's judicial review or what decision had been taken by the European court could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Additional or more recent information on Umraniye Military Prison could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Military Prison in Izmir

The Turkish Daily News reported the Anatolia news agency as saying that in March 1999, the military prison in Izmir had been awarded the ISO 9002, "an international quality standardization measure" (Turkish Daily News 24 Mar. 1999). Anatolia, the national news agency in Turkey, was founded in 1920 by Turkey's first leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (AP 27 Mar. 2003). Today it is partially funded by the government and "serves most of the country's media" (ibid.).

In the same article, the Turkish Daily News described the prison saying that

The prison hosts military inmates and civilians sentenced by military courts. The Anatolia stated that the prison offers the comforts of a five-star hotel and the inmates receive a high level of care.

The prison is equipped with various facilities, including a reading room, a conference hall, a fitness room and teaching accommodations. They receive monthly medical checkups and can visit the prison's psychiatrist every week. Inmates also benefit from sports facilities situation outside the prison and are given job training at various workshops (ibid.).

Corroborating, additional or more recent information on the military prison in Izmir could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Edirne Military Prison

According to a report published in the Turkish Daily News,

Inmates at Edirne Military Prison are being given courses in arts and crafts. Among the courses being taught are oil painting, charcoal sketching, pottery and the theater. A spokesman for the inmates told reporters there was nothing to do in prison and so they were trying to find constructive ways of serving their time (27 May 2001).

Corroborating, additional or more recent information on Edirne Military Prison could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Information on Metris Military Prison, Maltepe Military Prison and Kartal Military Prison in Istanbul, and Davutpasa Military Prision, the military prison in Afyon, Hasdal Military Prison, Gelibolu Military Prison, Selimiye Military Prison and Van Military Prison could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

For information on deaths in military prisons and the circumstances surrounding them between 1980 and 2000, please refer to the excerpted attachment taken from The Terror Report of Turkey 1980 -2000, which was prepared by the Turkish-based Association of Solidarity with the Families of Prisoners (Tutuklu ve Hukumlu Aileieri Yardimlasma Dernegi; TAYAD).

Prosecution of Military Personnel for Torture

According to Country Reports 1999, from 1995 to 1999, two military personnel had been prosecuted for torture, one of whom was acquitted (23 Feb. 2000, sec. 1c). In 2000, "[n]o military personnel were prosecuted for torture" (Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001, sec. 1c). There is no data on the prosecution of military personnel for torture in Country Reports 2001 (4 Mar. 2002, sec. 1c), and, in 2002, "court proceedings were opened against 21 military personnel accused of torture. The case against two officers was dismissed; the other cases were ongoing at year's end" (31 Mar. 2003, sec. 1c). It should be noted that this data does not distinguish between military personnel employed in military prisons and those employed outside military prisons.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat [London, in Arabic]. 20 December 2002. "Turkish Prime Minister on His Cabinet, EU Membership, Secularism, Other Matters." (FBIS-NES-2002-1220 23 Dec. 2002/WNC)

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN). 6 October 1997. "Amy Goodman Interviews Kani Xulam." http://kurdistan.org/Washington/pacifica.html [Accessed 9 June 2003]

_____. October 1989. "'Moments/Methods of Torture': The Military Prison of Diyarbakir." http://kurdistan.org/Prisons/tak.html [Accessed 5 June 2003]

Amnesty International (AI). 1 April 1997. "Turkey: Osman Murat Ülke - Conscientious Objector Jailed." (AI Index: EUR44/025/1997) http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR440251997 [Accessed 5 June 2003]

_____. October 1996. Turkey: No Security Without Human Rights. (AI Index: EUR/44/84/96) http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/turkey/turk1.htm [Accessed 12 June 2003]

Anatolia News Agency [Ankara, in English]. 11 September 2001. "Turkey: Criminal Court Arrests Businessman Garih's Suspected Murderer Yermez." (FBIS-WEU-2001-0911 12 Sept. 2001/WNC)

_____. 16 June 2000. "Turkey: Anatolia Reports on Charges Filed Against Agca in 1984." (FBIS-WEU-2000-0616 19 June 2000/WNC)

Associated Press (AP). 27 March 2003. "Turkish National News Agency Gets New General Director." (NEXIS)

Compass Direct. 9 October 2001. Barbara G. Baker. "Strasbourg Court Reviews Soner Onder's Case: Turkish Government's Defense Due on Thursday." (Human Rights Without Frontiers 10 Oct. 2001) http://www.hrwf.net/newhrwf/html/turkey2001.html [Accessed 12 June 2003]

_____. 20 November 1998. "Turkey: Syrian Christian Prisoner's Case Goes to Strasbourg." (Human Rights Without Frontiers 9 Dec. 1998/NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002. 31 March 2003. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18396.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/eur/8358.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 23 February 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/844.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. 23 February 2000. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/365.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

Foreign Broadcast Information Services (FBIS). 30 November 2002. "Turkish Social Issues Report 16-30 Nov 02." (FBIS-WEU-2002-1206 11 Dec. 2002/WNC)

Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT). 15 May 2003. Correspondence received from the President.

_____. November 2002. "6. Freedom of Expression and Communication." Monthly Report.(Google Cache) http://tihv.org.tr/report/2002_11/novfrecomm.html [Accessed 12 June 2003]

Hurriyet [Istanbul, Ankara Edition, in Turkish]. 15 February 2002. Nurettin Kurt. "Turkey: Col Seckin Arrested for Corruption, Abuse of Authority." (FBIS-WEU-2002-0215 19 Feb. 2002/WNC)

Milliyet [Istanbul, Internet Version, in Turkish]. 6 November 2002. Abdullah Karakus. "Turkey's Erodogan Said Planning to Propose Gul as New Prime Minister." (FBIS-WEU-2002-1106 7 Nov. 2002/WNC)

_____. 3 October 2001. Utku Cakirozer. "More Details of Turkish Naval Officer's Arrest Given." (FBIS-WEU-2001-1007 9 Oct. 2001/WNC)

_____. 5 March 2001. Utku Cakirozer. "Officers Arrested in Turkish Arms Purchase Irregularity Inquiry." (FBIS-WEU-2001-0308 12 Mar. 2001/WNC)

Nonviolent Activist: The Magazine of the War Resisters League. November-December 1996. "Turkish C.O. on Hunger Strike." http://www.warresisters.org/nva116-5.htm [Accessed 11 June 2003]

Tekin, Serdar. 28 November 1997. "Osman's Situation." (Campaign Against Forced Military Service in Turkey/Struggle) http://struggle.ws/turkey/osmon.html [Accessed 5 June 2003]

Turkish Daily News [Ankara, in English]. 28 May 2002. Erol Manisali. "Those Who Set Turkey's Direction ..." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/05_28_02/scn_head.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 8 December 2001. "Trial of Uzeyir Garih's Murder Suspect Continues." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/12_08_01/dom.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 27 May 2001. "Putting the Art in Artillery." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/05_27_01/for.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 4 July 2000. "'Agca Spirited Away from Prison by Officers.'" http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/07_04_00/scanner.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 3 April 1999. "Dormitory System Is the Primary Cause of Escape from Jails." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/04_03_99/dom.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 24 March 1999. "First ISO 9002 Jail in Turkey." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/03_24_99/dom.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 30 January 1999. "Armed Men Among Trial Spectators Causes Uproar in Goktepe Case." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/01_30_99/dom2.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 15 April 1997. M. Akif Beki. "The War of TV Channels and Press Ethics." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/04_15_97/feature.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 12 March 1997.Metin Demirsar. "Fugitive Policeman Ibrahim Sahin Turns Himself in." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/03_12_97/dom.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

_____. 27 November 1996. "Pope's Would-be Killer Agca Comes Out with New Revelations." http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/11_27_96/dom.htm [Accessed 10 June 2003]

Tutuklu ve Hukumlu Aileieri Yardimlasma Dernegi (TAYAD). n.d. TAYAD Solidarity Committee. The Terror Report of Turkey 1980-2000. http://www.ozgurluk.org/english.pdf [Accessed 9 June 2003]

United Kingdom (UK). April 2003. Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office. "Turkey." Country Assessments. http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?PageId=2832 [Accessed 4 June 2003]

_____. 17-23 March 2001. "Military Service." Report of Fact-Finding Mission to Turkey. http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/filestore/TURKEY%20military%20service.pdf [Accessed 4 June 2003]

United Nations (UN). September 2001. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR). Background Paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Turkey. http://www.unhcr.ch/research/coi.htm [Accessed 13 June 2003]

War Resisters' International (WRI). 24 January 2003. "Turkey: Conscientious Objector Mehmet Bal on His Way to Adana." (TK12718-240103) http://www.wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/24012003.html [Accessed 5 June 2003]

_____. 1999. Osman Murat Ülke. "'To Live Is to Resist' - Letter from Ossi." http://wri-irg.org/news/1999/pfp99oss.htm [Accessed 5 June 2003]

_____. 12 June 1995. Bart Horeman. "Turkey: 20 June Trial of War Resisters." http://www.uv.es/~alminyan?turtrial.html [Accessed 5 June 2003]

War Resisters League (WRL). n.d. "About WRL." http://www.warresisters.org/about_wrl.htm [Accessed 11 June 2003]

Wiesel, Elie. 1997. "Preface." Prison No. 5: Eleven Years in Turkish Jails. Watertown, MA: Blue Crane Books.

Zana, Mehdi. 1997. Prison No. 5: Eleven Years in Turkish Jails. As Told to André Vauqueline.Translated by Sarah Hughes. Watertown, MA: Blue Crane Books.

Attachments

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN). October 1989. "'Moments/Methods of Torture': The Military Prison of Diyarbakir." http://kurdistan.org/Prisons/tak.html [Accessed 5 June 2003], 5 pages.

Tutuklu ve Hukumlu Aileieri Yardimlasma Dernegi (TAYAD). n.d. TAYAD Solidarity Committee. The Terror Report of Turkey 1980-2000. http://www.ozgurluk.org/english.pdf [Accessed 9 June 2003], pp. 9-13, 15-17, 19, 21-33, 40-41, 46-47, 54-56, 60-61, 63, 66-74, 77, 79-81.

Zana, Mehdi. 1997. Prison No. 5: Eleven Years in Turkish Jails. As Told to André Vauqueline.Translated by Sarah Hughes. Watertown, MA: Blue Crane Books. pp.15-37.

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International did not respond to a request for information within time constraints.

The Association of Solidarity with the Families of Prisoners did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

The Embassy of Turkey, in Ottawa, did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), in Strasbourg, France, did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

The Human Rights Association of Turkey did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

IRB Databases

The Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUMDER) did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

War Resisters' International did not respond to a letter requesting information within time constraints.

Internet sites, including:

Al-Bawaba

Asylum Aid

BBC

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

European Country of Origin Information Network

European Court of Human Rights

Human Rights Association of Turkey

Human Rights Watch

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Middle East Times

Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUMDER)

Relief Web

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)

Search engine:

Google
Electronic Attachment

Tutuklu ve Hukumlu Aileieri Yardimlasma Dernegi (TAYAD). n.d. TAYAD Solidarity Committee. The Terror Report of Turkey 1980-2000. http://www.ozgurluk.org/english.pdf [Accessed 9 June 2003], pp. 9-13, 15-17, 19, 21-33, 40-41, 46-47, 54-56, 60-61, 63, 66-74, 77, 79-81.
The Terror Report of Turkey 1980-1983
(from 12th September 1980)

...

DEATHS BY TORTURE / 1980-1983

...

Ilhan ERDOST: Writer and publisher Ilhan Erdost was detained, with his brother Muzaffer Erdost, in Ankara, on 7th November 1980. He died as a result of the torture that he received from the soldiers while they were taking him to Mamak Military Prison....

DEATHS IN PRISONS/ 1980-1983

Ali SARIBAL: He was killed in 1980 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

Abdurrahman CECEN, Ahmet TANER: They were murdered by torture, on 16th May 1981, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

Ibis URAL: He was murdered by torture, on 27th December 1981, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

M. Emin AKPINAR: He was murdered by torture, on 25th January 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Aziz OZBAY: He was murdered by torture, on 23rd August 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Aziz BUYUKERTAS: He was murdered by torture, on 22nd December 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Cemal KILIC: He was murdered by torture, on 23rd February 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Bedri TAN: He was murdered by torture, on 17th May 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Suleyman ASKIN: He was murdered by torture, in 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Sofi ABDURRAHMAN: Murdered by torture, in 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Mahmut GUNERI: He was murdered by torture, in 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Seyfettin SAG: He was murdered by torture, on 21st November 1982, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Ramazan YAYAN: He was murdered by torture, on 13th January 1983, at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

THE PRISONERS WHO DIED WHILE PROTESTING AGAINST THE PERSECUTIONS IN THE PRISONS BY BURNING THEMSELVES OR COMMITTING SUICIDE

Irfan CELIK: He died on 14th September 1980 by committing suicide since he couldn't stand the persecutions in Istanbul Davutpasa Military Prison anymore.

Bekir BAG: He died on 12th November 1980 by committing suicide in his cell at Mamak Military Prison.

...

Mazlum DOGAN: In order to protest against the torture and inhumane conditions in prison he set himself alight in Diyarbakir military prison on March 1982.

Ferhat KUTAY, Necmi ONER, Esref ANYIK and Mahmut ZENGIN: In order to protest against the torture and inhumane conditions in the prison they set themselves alight in Diyarbakir military prison in May 17, 1982.

Kenan CIFTCI: He could not endure the repression in the prison and poisoned himself in Diyarbakyr military prison in April 21, 1982.

PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DUE TO DEATH FASTS AND HUNGER STRIKES

Ali EREK: He was on hunger strike in order to protest torture and inhumane conditions in Diyarbakyr military prison and lost his life on April 1981.

Kemal PIR, M.Hayri DURMUS, Akif YILMAZ and Ali CICEK: They were on death fast in order to protest against the torture and inhumane conditions in Diyarbakir military prison and lost their lives in September 1982.

PRISONERS WHO WERE DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT AND WERE LEFT TO DIE

Zafer MUCTEBAOGLU: He los[t] his life due to illness in Mamak military prison in October 8, 1982.

Abdurrahman ALGAN: He died as a result of the torture he faced in Diyarbakir Military Prison in 1982 shortly after his release.

Ismet KARAK: He died in September 1983 at Diyarbakir Military Prison as a result of not receiving any medical treatment for his health condition after being on hunger strike.

...

THE PRISONERS WHOSE REASONS FOR DEATH IN THE PRISONS ARE UNKNOWN

Cemal ZENGIN: He died on 21st March 1981 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Tahir SAHIN: He died on 21st March 1981 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

Ismet TAS: He died on 5th December 1981 at Metris Military Prison.

...

M. Ali ERARSLAN: He died on 9th June 1982 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

Halit ATALAY: He died in 1983 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

Mehmet AZBAGDEM: He died on 7th May 1983 at Diyarbakir Military Prison.

...

The Terror Report of Turkey
1984-1987

...

DEATHS IN PRISONS - 1984-1987

Necmettin BÜYÜK: He was murdered by torture in Diyarbakir military prison in January 23, 1984.

...

DEATHS IN PRISONS DUE TO DEATH FASTS AND HUNGER STRIKE ACTIONS

Cemal ARAT and Orhan KESKIN: On March 1984, they lost their lives during an Hunger Strike action in order to protest against the inhumane conditions, repression and torture in Diyarbakir military prison.

...

PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BY SETTING THEMSELVES ALIGHT OR COMMITTING SUICIDE IN ORDER TO PROTEST AGAINST THE REPRESSION IN PRISONS

Yilmaz DEMIR: He committed suicide in order to protest against torture in Diyarbakir military prison in January 8, 1984.

Remzi AYTÜRK: He committed suicide in order to protest against torture in Diyarbakir military prison in January 28, 1984.

Selahattin KURUTUZ: He could not bear the repression and torture in Diyarbakir military prison and hanged himself on June 1984.

Hüseyin YÜCE: He could not bear the repression and torture in Diyarbakir military prison and hanged himself on June 1984.

Suphi CEVIRICI: Because of being subjected to torture and being forced into treason he hanged himself in Diyarbakir military prison in June 20, 1986.

PRISONERS WHO WERE DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT AND LOST THEIR LIVES

Ali TUFAN: He was released from Diyarbakir military prison in 1984 and because of the torture he had received he lost his life shortly after his release.

...

Adil CAN: His medical treatment was purposely delayed in Metris military prison in April 15, 1985.

...

Vasif ÖZALTIN: He lost his life in December 30, 1986 in Gelibolu military prison. Allegedly he died due to "heart failure" according to the authorities.

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PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DUE TO UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES

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Hüseyin KARAMAHMUTOGLU: He died in Mamak military prison on May 1987.

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The Terror Report of Turkey
1988-1990

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PRISONERS WHO DIED IN JAIL FOR REASONS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED

Muhittin SUSTA: Died in 1988 in Kartal Military Prison.

...

The Terror Report of Turkey
1991

[No records of torture or death of prisoners in a military prison are listed.]

The Terror Report of Turkey
1992

[No records of torture or death of prisoners in a military prison are listed.]

The Terror Report of Turkey
1993

DEATHS IN PRISON -1993

POLITICAL PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BECAUSE

THEY DID NOT RECEIVE TREATMENT WHEN THEY WERE ILL

...

Yilmaz Dogru: He lost his life on the 29th of November in Diyarbakir prison because he did not receive treatment for the torture he had received. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

Ahmet Ozdil: He lost his life because he did not receive treatment for the torture he had received. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

Cuma TEPE: He lost his life because of the conditions in the prison and because he did not receive treatment for the torture he had received. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

Naime Gungor: He lost his life as a result of torture and bad health. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

...

The Terror Report of Turkey
1994

...

DEATHS IN THE PRISONS-1994

Ramazan Ozuak: the gendarme [military police, also responsible for police functions in rural areas] killed him in Diyarbakir prison on the 4th of October after a sudden-attack. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

THE PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BECAUSE THEY WERE NEGLECTED

...

Serdar Yalcin: He lost his life because he did not receive treatment for the torture he had received. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

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The Terror Report of Turkey
1995

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THE PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT TREATED FOR THEIR ILLNESSES

...

Orhan Tanrikulu: His illness as a result of torture was not treated and he lost his life in Diyarbakir prison. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

...

Hakan Anterli: He lost his life in the prison of Diyarbakir because his illnesses which was a result of torture was not treated [sic]. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

...

Ayhan Isik: He lost his life because his illnesses as a result of torture was not treated [sic]. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

Kerem Kalbisen: He lost his life because his illnesses, as a result of torture was not treated [sic]. [The report does not indicate in which prison this individual was tortured.]

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The Terror Report of Turkey
1996

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DEATHS UNDER TORTURE - 1996

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Hamdi Deniz: He was imprisoned for deserting from the army. It was reported that he died on February 11 at the gendarmerie station in Kocaeli Derbent. The official statement was that he committed suicide, hanging himself from a height of 140 centimetres. Hamdi Deniz was 170 centimetres tall.

...

DEATHS IN THE PRISONS - 1996

PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES AS A RESULT OF STATE ATTACKS IN THE PRISONS

MASSACRE IN THE PRISON OF UMRANIYE

On the 4th of January thousands of special team members and gendarmes launched an operation in the prison of Umraniye. [It is unclear whether this was in Umraniye Military Prison.]

Those murdered during this operation:

Riza BOYBAS: He was killed by the gendarmerie after being beaten and tortured.

Gultekin BEYHAN: He was killed by the gendarmerie after being beaten and tortured.

Abdulmecit SECKIN: He was killed by the gendarmerie after being beaten and tortured.

Orhan OZEN: He was killed by the gendarmerie after being beaten and tortured.

By taking the decision not to launch a prosecution in response to the charge, the attorney general of Uskudar Istanbul did not even see the necessity to open court proceedings.

MASSACRE IN THE PRISON OF DIYARBAKIR

On September 24 the political prisoners went to the visitors' cabin to receive their families. On the return to their cell they were taken inside one of the prison administration buildings and killed by blows with clubs with nails in them. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

This was done by special teams with snow masks who entered the prison. It was an open massacre which was planned together with the prison direction, while there was no incident, resistance or barricade that they could show as a pretext for what happened.

The 10 persons who lost their lives in the massacre:

Mehmet ASLAN: Death under torture...

Kadri DEMIR: Death under torture...

Edip DONEKCI: Death under torture...

M. Nimet CAKMAK: Death under torture...

Erkan Hakan PERISAN: Death under torture...

Ridvan BULUT: Death under torture...

Hakki TEKIN: Death under torture...

Mehmet Kadri GUMUS: Death under torture...

Cemal CAM: Death under torture...

Ahmet CELIK: Death under torture...

...

The Terror Report of Turkey
1997

[No records of torture or death of prisoners in a military prison are listed.]

The Terror Report of Turkey
1998

[No records of torture or death of prisoners in a military prison are listed.]

The Terror Report of Turkey
1999

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PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES, BEING ABANDONED TO DEATH BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T RECEIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT

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Abdulkadir YILMAZ: He lost his life on September 25 in the prison of Diyarbakir because he didn't receive medical treatment. [It is unclear whether this was in Diyarbakir Military Prison.]

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The Terror Report of Turkey
2000

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DEATHS IN PRISON - 2000

PRISONERS WHO LOST THEIR LIFE AFTER THE ATTACK OF THE STATE TO THE PRISONS

...

Sancar KARTAL: He was killed in January during an attack of the gendarmerie on the prison of Metris. [It is unclear whether this was in Metris Military Prison.]

Prison Operations of 19th December:

The 19th December prisons operation occurred while the whole world watched Turkey because of the Death Fasts. Total terror ensued. According [to] the official statements, 8 battalions of gendarmerie commandos only, and 37 battalions of soldiers for a total of 8,335 persons were involved. 191 are officers, 432 are sergents, 392 are expert gendarmes, 281 are expert officers, 7,080 are soldiers and NCOs. Besides, the Interior Minister gave directives to the governors in the case they need reinforcements according to the security and public order's aid plan.

...

Prison of Umraniye:

[It is unclear whether this was in Umraniye Military Prison.]

Ahmet Ibili: Shot while he burnt himself to protest against the attack. 8 bullets which caused death were found in his body.

Alp Ata Akcayoz: He was killed at the end of the operation with 2 bullets.

Ercan Polat: Killed by bullets.

Riza Poyraz: Killed by bullets.

Umut Gedik: Reason of death, poisoning with the smoke caused by gas bombs. The exact number of the wounded isn't precisely known but almost a hundred prisoners were injured by bullets and bombs. The operation continued for 83 hours.

...