Ankara Eyes to Construct 193 Prisons, Fueling Fears of New Arrests

The Turkish authorities are mulling to build 193 new prisons amid a surge in demands for space as current jailhouses are overwhelmed by the number of arrests, especially in the aftermath of the failed 2016 coup.

The move came after national and international rights organizations offered riveting
accounts about dismal prison conditions across Turkey. The issue has become a
matter of political controversy in the Turkish Parliament after opposition lawmakers
demanded inquiries from the Justice Department into the rights violations and need
for space in overcrowded prisons.

The General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses released current numbers
in response to a parliamentary inquiry by Muharrem Erkek, a lawmaker from the
secular main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

As of December 17, 2018, 389 prisons are available in Turkey, with a total capacity of
211,838 inmates, according to a written statement.

Within five years, the Ministry of Justice plans to build 193 more prisons, with 126
prisons are currently under construction, 23 of them are still in tender phase as the government seeks to assign the task to companies.

The project about 35 prisons is still inconclusive while nine prisons are being planned by government architects.

The Turkish prisons run currently over capacity. They have currently a population of
nearly 250,000 inmates, 40,000 more over their normal capacity, according to the
ministry statistics.

The situation has become an overriding concern for human rights organizations amid
mass arrests after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Mass crackdown on dissidents continues

Less than a week after the 2016 coup, the Turkish government declared a state of
emergency, entrusting itself with sweeping, vast powers granted by the emergency
laws.

During two-year emergency rule, the authorities enacted dozens of decrees, which
had the full force of the law. However, the government’s invoking of emergency
powers sparked a legal and political controversy, inviting sharp criticism over the way
how it used those powers.

More than 150,000 public workers have been fired without due process. The government also shut down more than 1,150 schools, 160 media outlets and confiscated hundreds of businesses, small and large.

As the emergency regime came to an end last summer, the government’s
constitutional amendment allowed it to make some provisions under the emergency
rule permanent features of the law.

The Turkish government has not let up its pressure on dissidents, after the end of the two-year state of emergency. A new anti-terrorism law, following the state of emergency, has led many to believe that “securitized state” has become permanent.

Critics accuse Erdogan of using the foiled coup as an opportunity to quash opposition
in Turkey, while he claims the measures are necessary for fighting against threats to
national security.

Human Rights Watch reports that more than 50,000 people have been imprisoned
pending trial since July 2016.

According to Ministry of Justice statistics revealed in January this year, 77,355 of
people are under judicial control. Turkey’s western allies have raised concerns over
mass crackdown and detentions in the country since the coup attempt.

Thousands of victims still suffer the wrong, alleged consequences of the State of Emergency

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/03/29/ankara-eyes-to-construct-193-prisons-fueling-fears-of-new-arrests/