Turkish prison deems saying 'friends' in Kurdish 'PKK propaganda'

Turkish prison authorities have deemed saying "friends" in Kurdish "PKK propaganda" and launched an investigation into an inmate.

Sunday September 26 2021 03:38 pm

Duvar English

Authorities of a prison in the Central Anatolian province of Kırıkkale have launched an investigation into an inmate for saying "friends" in Kurdish.

The inmate, Arif Bayram, was talking on the phone when he said, "Hevaller," meaning "friends" in Kurdish, prompting prison authorities to accuse him of making propaganda of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

According to the prison authorities, "Hevaller" is a word used to communicate within the PKK, Mesopotamia Agency reported on Sept. 25.

The incident was conveyed to the public by the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), which prepared a report concerning rights violations in the prisons in Turkey's Central Anatolia.

Lawyer Hülya Yıldırım from the association said that inmates in the majority of the prisons they visited complained about cell searches that are carried out arbitrarily. She also said that inmates weren't being told the reason for the searches.

The association listed numerous instances of torture and mistreatment in addition to the animosity towards Kurdish.