Turkey Delays Inmate Transfers Amid Protests, Hunger Strikes

With hunger-striking inmates falling ill, Turkey on Saturday postponed indefinitely the transfer of prisoners from open wards to small cells, where they say they fear abuse by authorities.

The decision came after human rights activists and prisoners’ relatives and lawyers stepped up their protests of the transfer plan. Police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators Saturday in downtown Istanbul, detaining 200 people, according to activists and news reports. In the capital, Ankara, about 1,000 protesters gathered peacefully.

Turkey’s dormitory-style prison wards house as many as 100 inmates at a time, often in poor conditions. But prisoners say the smaller cells, which would hold one to three people, would make them more vulnerable to torture and abuse at the hands of guards.

Hundreds of inmates have gone on hunger strikes to protest the plan, and at least three prisoners were in critical condition Saturday, relatives said.

Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said the new prisons would not be opened until a consensus is reached.

“We don’t want anybody’s life to be in danger,” Turk said.

It was unclear if the step would end the hunger strikes. But Husnu Ondul, head of the independent Human Rights Assn., praised the government’s move.

International human rights groups say torture is common in Turkish prisons.

Authorities say the large, crowded wards are difficult to manage because outlawed political groups control them. Riots and hostage-takings are common.