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The Death of an inmate in the Central Prison is no surprise. |
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Friday, 11 June 2010 |
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TCHRF Press ReleaseThe Death of an inmate in the Central Prison is no surprise. Selami Bayram’s death on June 6th 2010 allegedly as a result of suicide, is the result of the serious neglect by the authorities of precautions that need to be taken in prisons. It will be recalled that in the past despite several demands, an effective investigation was not made into the death of inmate Davut Yavuz who died as a result of burns from a fire in the prison and the family have had to resort to court.Although the Prevention of Torture Platform, of which TCHRF is a member, demanded an effective investigation of the claims of torture in prisons from the Internal Affairs Ministry, this call has been ignored. We are gravely concerned that if these allegations are not investigated, torture and ill-treatment may become institutionalized and those who commit such crimes against human rights will continue with immunity. After the fire on December 2nd 2009 in the Central Prison, some of the convicts claimed that they had been tortured and some of these are still isolated from the others. Moreover, the government has not given any answers to the demands for effective investigation of this incident by the Prevention of Torture Platform.An inmate who was taken to the Kyrenia Assize Court on February 19th 2009 was seen to be carrying suspicious wounds and the court ordered an investigation as to the cause of the wounds. However, even after 5 months no information has been given either to the accused or to the public.Considering all these, the death of Selami Bayram is not a surprise and it has created a huge question mark. Now, it is essential to have an investigation into this incident. An autopsy by an expert is required to establish whether Selami Bayram was tortured before his death. Moreover, the claim by the prison wardens that Selami Bayram was mentally unstable should also be investigated; was he given the necessary treatment and were precautions taken to prevent him from committing a suicide. These precautions would have saved his life. Clearly the death by suicide in prison cannot be justified or excused by alleging that the inmate was mentally unstable.The death of Selami Bayram right after he was put in cellulary confinement also raises the issue of a violation of the human right to have a fair trial, because he was being punished in this way by the prison authorities who take on the roles of prosecution and judge.In the framework of human rights norms the government needs to take its responsibility more seriously in order to protect the right to life of individuals. This protection is not only limited to not putting an end to the lives of individuals, but also taking precautions to help individuals continue their lives. Hence, the precautions, if any, that were taken to provide treatment for Selami Bayram and to prevent him from committing suicide should also be a part of this investigation by the government.As TCHRF, we hope that this incident which is a disaster for the relatives of Selami Bayram resulting from prison conditions is taken seriously and leads to finding solutions to this problem that violates human rights by the government.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 June 2010 )
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