July 30, 2024 — The UN Committee Against Torture has released a report following sessions held from July 8-26, highlighting the continuation of strip searches in Turkey and expressing concerns over forced abductions. The committee has urged Turkey to review its life imprisonment sentences without parole.
Strip Searches Persist Despite new regulations, the report emphasized that inmates are still subjected to unlawful strip searches, which Turkish authorities refer to as “detailed searches,” during transfers, hospital visits, and meetings with their lawyers or families.
The report also noted that postpartum female prisoners are held without adequate health services and proper nutrition. Necessary conditions for breastfeeding are not provided, and some women are detained and handcuffed in the hospital shortly after giving birth.
Call to Review Life Imprisonment Sentences The Committee Against Torture has called for a review of aggravated life imprisonment sentences. The report stated, “The state should consider revising the Penal Code and Law No. 5275 on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures to abolish aggravated life sentences. In this context, the state should ensure that prisoners serving life sentences have the hope of parole or sentence reduction after a reasonable period.” It also emphasized the need to allow Abdullah Öcalan, Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar, and Veysi Aktaş to meet and communicate with their families and lawyers without restrictions.
Concerns Over Forced Abductions The report expressed concern over allegations that individuals associated with the Hizmet/Gülen movement are being systematically abducted and forcibly returned from countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Gabon, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, and Pakistan, in coordination with the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT). These abductions reportedly involve forced disappearances and other forms of torture and ill-treatment.
Controversial “Detailed Search” Statement The Turkish Ministry of Justice faced criticism during the UN Committee Against Torture meeting for claiming, “We ended strip searches in 2021 and transitioned to detailed searches.” During the 80th session of the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva, rapporteur Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov accused the Turkish delegation of providing misleading information about strip searches.
Rapporteur Tuzmukhamedov warned the Turkish delegation, saying, “In paragraph 158 of your report, you cite an ECHR decision as a justification for strip searches. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the Dutch Van der Ven case that ‘routine strip searches are torture.’ However, the Turkish government is presenting the part of the ruling that says ‘strip searches are necessary in certain situations’ to justify strip searches in Turkey. I do not want to believe that you are trying to mislead us with this.”
