'Prisons and Human Rights' panel in London

In the panel held in London, the oppressive regime established through prisons, systematic violations of rights and isolation policies against political prisoners were discussed.


ANF
LONDON
Monday, December 15, 2025 at 00:26 AM

A panel titled "Prisons and Human Rights" was held at the Kurdish Community Center in London on December 14 under the leadership of representatives of NADEK (Kurdish Assembly), UPOTUDAK and TSP. In the panel, which was held with intense participation, the oppressive regime built through prisons, systematic violations of rights against political prisoners and isolation policies were discussed in detail.

Aya Costar, one of the first speakers of the panel, emphasized that the essence of the detention is political and stated that the existence of political prisoners cannot be denied even in Europe. Stating that İmralı is one of the places where the isolation system is applied most severely in Turkey, Costar said that isolation directly targets human dignity. Reminding that the Palestinian people have been subjected to torture and collective punishment policies for years, Costar stated that political oppression is not limited to a single geography. He pointed out that the fact that Kurdish activist Mehmet Cebrar is facing the threat of exile is also a part of this policy.

Writer-Journalist İlham Bakır discussed the historical birth and function of prisons in modern society. Stating that prisons are used not only through the relationship between crime and punishment, but also as "laboratories" for the purpose of controlling and disciplining the society, Bakır stated that the system first spreads the methods it tried in prisons to the whole society. Emphasizing that modern society, from apartment-type life to the education system, has been re-established with prison architecture, Bakır said that the only way out against this is to build an organized, communal and solidarity society. He noted that the power of the people is not in weapons or capital, but in organization.

Speaking on behalf of UPOTUDAK, Süleyman Gürem stated that isolation practices are a form of torture in themselves. Underlining that isolation is not only punishment, but also an unlawful practice that deprives people of being subjects and causes psychological and physical destruction, Gürem reminded that this system, which is not limited to the example of Ahmet Garan, has been aggravated on Leader Apo for years. Stating that this situation is clearly contrary to international conventions and human rights law, Gürem emphasized that the aim is to silence social opposition.

The panel also drew attention to the current situation in Turkish prisons. It was stated that the actual detention periods of more than 400 days turned into torture, and women and children were forced to live under harsh conditions. It was stated that hundreds of children were kept in prison with their mothers, and approximately 600 seriously ill prisoners were prevented from their right to treatment and left to die. It was emphasized that isolation was institutionalized with well-type prisons, and the rights of communication and visitation were systematically usurped.

Among the violations of rights listed by UPOTUDAK; book and publication bans, arbitrary disciplinary penalties, practices that prevent release, imposition of strip searches against female prisoners and arbitrary restriction of communication rights. It was stated that all these practices constitute crimes against humanity.

In the last part of the panel, the importance of resistance and solidarity came to the fore. While emphasizing that the struggle is collective, not individual, it called for increasing international solidarity from the Palestinian resistance to anti-fascist movements in Europe. In this process where journalists, human rights defenders and political prisoners are targeted, the necessity of a united struggle was emphasized. The panel ended with a call to build a common line against torture and isolation.