An operation which has been described by the state authorities as "return to life" had been conducted in 20 prisons in Turkey on 19th December, 2000.
The pretext of this operation was explained as follows: "Hunger strikes have been continuing for 60 days. Strikers might die any moment from now on. This is why it had to be interfered. Convicts and prisoners on remand were in wards and under the influence of each other. Even more, they were continuing the hunger strike under duress of political organisations to which they belong. It is necessary to set them free from such pressure. Although F-type prisons were not ready to use, transfer of the prisoners to the F-Type prisons was unavoidable because there were no place in other prisons."
On 19 December 2000, an operation was conducted in 20 prisons in Turkey early in the morning. 32 people lost their lives, two of whom were soldiers, during the operation which involved approximately ten thousand of security forces using high kinetic energy weapons and military equipment. On the first day of the operation, the Prime Minister misled the public opinion by stating that "all of our security forces have been acting in full harmony with great patience. They do whatever they can for not causing any death; every effort has been spent to solve the issue through peaceful means, without causing any harm". Likewise, the Minister of Justice, in the late hours of the first day of the operation, stated that the majority of deaths during the operation were caused by inmates themselves molesting themselves.
Convicts and prisoners on remand carried on their death fast action. Up to the present, 26 persons died in death fasting that continued both in prisons and outside. Hundreds of prisoners have lost their conscience and became disabled. A total number of 71 disabled and unconscious prisoners have been released. As of today, death fasting continues; convicts and prisoners on remand have been under isolation regime and there is no sign of intention and effort of the Ministry of Justice to put an end these isolation conditions.
Our organisations had already opposed to the Operation called "return to life" immediately after the storming of prisons. We had stated that the real intention was not to return prisoners to life but to put the F-type prisons in use. Secondly, from the very beginning, we were saying that the problems can be solved through democratic processes. We haven't changed our minds. Thirdly, we had stated that excessive force had been used; people were burnt down and there were serious evidences of torture and ill-treatment including sexual harassment, and we asked for an investigation to be promptly launched against the perpetrators.
Statements of lawyers, families of prisoners and released prisoners are consistent with the reports of experts that has been appearing in the press for the last week.
Legal processes have been conducted in a unilateral way. Investigations were not launched and conducted through the complaints of the prisoners but they were launched against victims and those who lodged complaints in connection with the operation. Decisions for collective arrests were taken as this was the case in the operation in Ulucanlar Prison in Ankara, which was resulted in deaths of ten prisoners, on 26 September 1999.
Reports and testimonies included in the dossiers of court cases launched against convicts and prisoners on remand who are indeed the victims, demonstrate that:
1. Excessive and disproportionate force have been used by the security forces,
2. Arms and equipment which have been developed to destroy human life have been used,
3. Prison wings were set on fire and the security forces did not try to extinguish the fire,
4. Security forces led prisoners to die under fire,
5. The majority of prisoners died by gun-fire of security forces, blows or being burnt down.
Therefore, we urgently ask
1. for the announcement of realities to the public opinion,
2. for launching investigations against those who are responsible for these incidents,
3. for not granting anybody to get judicial impunity,
4. the Minister of Justice to order an investigation promptly, otherwise to resign,
5. public prosecutors (of Çanakkale as well as Eyüp and Üsküdar public prosecutors in Istanbul) to cease their silence and to initiate the required legal process.
Hüsnü ÖNDÜL, President of the Human Rights Association
Füsun SAYEK, President of the Turkish Medical Association
Yavuz ÖNEN, President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey
Suna COŞKUN, Secretary General of the Contemporary Jurists