Turkish prison authorities force inmate to commit suicide

Authorities of Elazığ Prison have asked 34-year-old inmate İbrahim Temel when he will commit suicide. "If you won't kill yourself, we'll kill you," they reportedly told Temel.

Wednesday December 29 2021 11:56 am

Hacı Bişkin / DUVAR

Authorities of a prison in Turkey's eastern province of Elazığ have forced an inmate to commit suicide.

İbrahim Temel told his family that Elazığ Prison authorities have been torturing him and threatening to kill him.

"Haven't you committed suicide yet? If you won't kill yourself, we'll kill you," authorities reportedly told the 34-year-old inmate.

Temel, who had bruises on his body, asked his family to save him from the prison and was transferred to a jail in the Aegean province of İzmir as a result.

Temel's sister Müzeyyen Temel told Duvar that her brother was subjected to threats and torture for objecting to certain prison practices. She also said that he was beaten with racist motives.

"They beat up my brother by calling him a PKK member," she said, using the abbreviation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Saying that the family has filed a criminal complaint on the issue, Temel noted that they fear for the inmate's safety.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, meanwhile, has brought the issue to parliament's agenda. The lawmaker asked the Human Rights Investigation Commission to look into İbrahim Temel's case.

(English version by Neşe İdil)

Topics Turkey Turkish prisons Elazığ İbrahim Temel Human rights abuses