CALL TO STOP PERSECUTION UNDER LEGAL PRACTICE. FREE MERVE GOKKAYA BEFORE PERMANENTLY LOSING HER HEALTH
According to Article 16/6 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5275, patients who cannot meet their daily needs by themselves in prison should be released until they are healthy.
According to a report issued by the Human Rights Association, there are 1333 detainees with illnesses in prisons in Turkey, 457 of which are severe. This is an immense Human Rights Violation.
Merve Gokkaya (29), a detainee for 37 months, explains her situation in a letter she sent out to her friend. Ever since she was detained, she was dealing with her health issues. Due to the structure and conditions of the prison, her illness keeps getting worse and she doesn’t get the treatment she needs. She explains that during this process she was taken to a hospital a few times but none of the medicine or the shots worked, and her condition is still undiagnosed.
Merve Gokkaya: “It is impossible to put into words what it is like to live in difficult conditions in a narrow space and in an icy environment. Every day I climb up and down the 24-step stairs with the help of someone, asking someone to take me to use the restroom, barely standing in the shower, and struggle for life in prison by having to wait for someone’s help. I’m being held and I can’t get up from where I sat at that time, and I can’t even lift one leg. During some attacks, I could not move my fingers, so I could only eat and drink with the help of someone.”
“In the most beautiful time of my life, in the first years of my marriage, when I had dreams to live up to, I was imprisoned with a slander. I am still being detained even though my health condition is getting serious. Why have I been held here for so long?”
“Of course, my innocence will come out one day and justice will truly be fulfilled. How will it be possible to compensate for this damage – the health that I have started to lose- when the judgment is given to me as a result of inaccuracies falls one day?”
“I’m desperately looking for a cure for my illnesses. Unfortunately, I can’t find it because I’m unjustly a prisoner. I keep having serious and painful attacks that disable me to take care of myself. Diagnosis cannot be made because I am not immediately transferred to a hospital at the time of the attacks.”
“Many people in my situation are currently arrested without a trial. Although I have written letters to the authorities and petitioned for being released, yet I have not received a positive response. I’m desperate.”
“While sitting on a chair, I notice that my knees and ankles are numb. I can’t stand up for longer than 15 minutes. I can’t lay on my back for a long time when I go to bed. When I turn to my right there is a pain, I can only sleep comfortably by lying to the left and pulling my knees towards my chest. It takes me half an hour to get this proper position.”
We urge everyone who is concerned with this human right violation to take action. Express your views or send attached statement below to following addresses:
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER
The Honorable Ms. Michelle Bachelet Jeria/High Commissioner
InfoDesk@ohchr.org
civilsociety@ohchr.org
dexrel@ohchr.org
COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE, U.S. HELSINKI COMMISSION
234 Ford House Office Building 3rd & D streets SW, Washington, DC 20515
TEL: 202-225-1901 | FAX: 202-226-4199 |
EMAIL: INFO@CSCE.GOV
Twitter: @HelsinkiComm | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helsinkicommission
UNITED NATIONS & EU
United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC)
Email: civilsociety@ohchr.org
Phone: (+41) 22 917 9656
Twitter: @UN_HRC
Website: www.ohchr.org/hrc
The Honorable Zeid Ra’ad AI Hussein
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH- 121 I Geneva 10. Switzerland
Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org
The Honorable David Kaye
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
Palais des Nations
CH- 121 I Geneva 10. Switzerland
Email: freedex@ohchr.org
The Honorable Elizabeth Broderick
U.N. Working Group on discrimination against women and girls
wgdiscriminationwomen@ohchr.org
The Honorable Leigh Toomey
U.N. Working Group on arbitrary detention
wgad@ohchr.org
The Honorable Catalina Devandas Aguilar
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
sr.disability@ohchr.org
The Honorable Ahmed Shaheed
U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
freedomofreligion@ohchr.org
The Honorable Agnes Callamard
U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
eje@ohchr.org
The Honorable Nils Melzer French
Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
sr-torture@ohchr.org
The Honorable Federica Mogherini
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
European Commission
Rue de la Loi 200/Wetstraat 200 B-1049
Brussels, Belgium
Email: federica.mogherini@ec.europa.eu
The Honorable Thorbjørn Jagland
Secretary-General of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
Avenue de l’Europe F-67075
Strasbourg Cedex, France
Email: private.office@coe.int
The Honorable Christos Giakoumopoulos
Directorate General
Human Rights and Rule of Law
Council of Europe
Avenue de l’Europe F-67075
Strasbourg Cedex, France
Email: christos.giakoumopoulos@coe.int
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
Human Rights Watch
Twitter: @hrw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumanRightsWatch
NY Address:350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel: +1-212-290-4700
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
Emma Daly, Communications Director
Tel: +1-212-216-1835
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
Human Rights Foundation
Twitter: @HRF
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanrightsfoundation/
New York Address:350 5th Ave., #4515 New York, NY, 10001
Phone Number: (212) 246-8486
Freedom House
Twitter: @FreedomHouseDC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreedomHouseDC
Email: info@freedomhouse.org
Phone: 202-296-5101
Fax: 202-293-2840
Annie Boyajian, Advocacy Manager
boyajian@freedomhouse.org
Amnesty International
Twitter: @amnestyusa
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amnestyusa
report@aiusa.org
International Federation for Human Rights
Twitter: @fidh_en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FIDH.HumanRights
FIDH AT THE UN (NEW-YORK)
110 East 42nd street, Suite 1309 NY 10017 New-York
Phone Number: 001 646 395 7103
International Court of Justice
Email: information@icj-cij.org
Phone: (+31) 70 302 23 23
Fax: (+31) 70 364 99 28
Twitter: @CIJ_ICJ
Website: http://www.icj-cij.org/en
CONTACTS FROM TURKEY
The Honorable Abdulhamit Gul
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
06659 Kizilay
Ankara, Republic of Turkey
Email: info@adalet.gov.tr
The Honorable Feridun Hadi Sinirlioǧlu
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Turkey to the United Nations
821 UN Plaza 10th Floor
New York, NY, USA 10017
Email: tr-delegation.newyork@mfa.gov.tr
The Honorable Selcuk Unal
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Canada
Turkish Embassy in Ottawa
197 Wurtemburg Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 8L9, Canada
Email: embassy.ottawa@mfa.gov.tr
The Honorable Serdar Kılıç
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, USA 20008
Email: embassy.washingtondc@mfa.gov.tr
Türkiye İnsan Hakları ve Eşitlik Kurumu
Telefon+90312 422 78 00
Faks+90312 422 78 99
GSM+90 532 000 00 00
E-posta baskanlik@tihek.gov.tr
AdresYüksel Cad. No: 23 | 06650 | Kızılay-ANKARA
COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES
The Honorable Mike Pompeo
United States Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC, USA 20520
The Honorable Chrystia Freeland
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2, Canada
The Honorable Nikki Haley
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United States Permanent Mission to the United Nations
799 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY, USA 10017
The Honorable Philip Kosnett
Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to the Republic of Turkey
Embassy of the United States
110 Atatürk Blvd. Kavaklıdere 06100
Ankara, Turkey