Melike Aydın

 

DERSİM - Berna Çelebi, who had recently been released from Elazığ Prison, expressed that the prisoners were subjected to arbitrary treatments in the rooms formed for torture. Berna said that actions should be immediately taken against what is going on in the prison.

 

As many activities and events have been banned within the scope of the state of emergency declared in Turkey, participation in these events and activities has been considered a crime. Berna Çelebi, who was jailed for participating in events organized on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day and in funeral ceremonies of guerrillas, was recently released from Elazığ Prison. Berna talked about what is going on in the prison after her release. Berna recalled that the women prisoners have been on hunger strike since November 1.

 

Berna talked about the reasons for actions started in the prison and she said cameras had been set up in their wards, bathrooms and restrooms and the prisoners had broken the cameras. Berna said they had been taken to the rooms called as sponged rooms after those events and they had been subjected to torture in these rooms and a team called Team A had entered their wards and they had inflicted physical and verbal violence on them.

 

‘Our wards were raided’

 

Stating that the prisoners had been forced to wear identity cards like name tags and the prisoners, who hadn’t refused to wear these cards, hadn’t taken advantage of any rights in the prison, Berna said that the hunger strike started as reversible in the prison is carried out by six prisoners as indefinite-irreversible. Berna reported that the Team A members raided their ward during the hunger strike and used water cannon against them.

 

‘They dragged us by hair and took us downstairs’

 

“A seriously sick woman, old women and children were in the ward. They used water cannon from air door. We were upstairs. Everywhere was wet and they dragged us by hair and took us downstairs. They tortured us. They took some of us to rooms called as sponged rooms. We were subjected to oral harassment and insults. They told us, ‘we will show you where is hell’,” said Berna.

 

Prisoners haven’t been taken to see doctor…

 

Berna stated that they were threatened by wardens and that they were told they wouldn’t see their friends receiving disciplinary punishment anymore. Berna also stated that the prisoners haven’t been taken to see a doctor to torture report.

 

They use their undershirts instead of pads

 

Talking about the sponged rooms, Berna said they had tried to send pads to their friends taken to the sponged rooms due to disciplinary punishments but the wardens hadn’t allowed them. Berna added that the women in the sponged rooms had to use their undershirts.

 

Lastly, Berna called on everyone to take an action immediately against ongoing rights violations in the Elazığ Prison.