"[Ozgurluk.Org]" press statement: TURKEY: STATE ATTACKS POLITICAL PRISONERS AT BURDUR PRISON > >PRESS STATEMENT > >TURKEY: STATE ATTACKS POLITICAL PRISONERS AT BURDUR PRISON > >While the Human Rights Commission of Turkey�s Parliament was discussing >human rights violations in the country�s prisons, the state itself was >attacking prisoners at Burdur this morning (Wednesday July 5). (Burdur is in >southwestern Turkey, 370 km from Istanbul.) > >According to reports, soldiers, police and Special Forces surrounded the >prison late last night and full-scale operations started at 9:30 this >morning. The attack started from the roof and the hall doors. Prisoners >resisted the attack by building barricades at key points inside the prison. >Latest information is that 38 prisoners have been injured and removed to >hospital, while 12 others have been relatively lightly injured. The jail is >full of soldiers and police but has been emptied of prisoners. More >information is expected tomorrow, July 6. > >The state�s massacre at Ulucanlar Prison last September when 10 political >prisoners were killed shows what it is capable of. Burdur is one of the >prisons where there have been serious internal problems, with the Governor, >Katip Ozen, doing his best to aggravate the situation. A heavy military >presence has also increased tension. > >Attacks on political prisoners� rights have become more extensive in the >last six months. These include bans on receiving newspapers, not being >allowed to see their families and beatings and torture during transfer to >and from hospital or court. About two months ago, soldiers attacked five >political prisoners during transfer, and three of the prisoners were >seriously hurt. Following this, political prisoners announced: �If the >safety of our lives is not guaranteed, we will refuse to go to court or to >hospital.� > >According to our sources, the Prison Administration also threatened >prisoners, saying: �You will go to court, otherwise you will be physically >attacked.� These threats have become a reality today. > >Cell-type prisons are on the agenda of the state in Turkey. This attack >could be part of an attempt to put political prisoners into the cell-type >prisons. So far there is no news of deaths in Burdur Prison, but we well >know the methods the state uses and is likely to use in future. If they get >the opportunity they will kill the prisoners. > >So we should not wait to hear of further deaths in prison. We call on all >persons of sensitivity to take action against these inhuman attacks by the >state in Turkey. > >A DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE THE TURKISH EMBASSY IN BELGRAVE SQUARE IS TO TAKE >PLACE (NEAREST TUBE � HYDE PARK CORNER), ON THURSDAY JULY 6 AT 2 PM. > >Please send protest faxes to the numbers below, with a copy of any fax you >send to go to the London Solidarity Committee. > >President of Republic of Turkey ----------------------------- 0090 312 213 >1616 > >Prime Minister--------------------------------------------------- 0090 312 >417 0476 > >Justice Ministry--------------------------------------------------0090 312 >411 3434 > >Interior Ministry--------------------------------------------------0090 312 >419 7108 > >London Embassy-------------------------------------------------0044 0 207 >393 0066 > >LONDON SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS IN TURKEY > >Contact Tel: 020 7249 9983 Fax: 020 7254 2407 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".signature" > >Press Agency Ozgurluk >In Support of the Peoples Liberation Struggle in Turkey and Kurdistan >http://www.ozgurluk.org > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
