Turkey confiscates prisoner’s letter mentioning “Rojava”, tortures her

Habiba al-Khalil al-Muslim, a woman from North and East Syria, was arrested on December 8, 2022, in the city of Amed in Northern Kurdistan on charges of “membership in an organization.” Her detention is ongoing, according to the Mesopotamia Agency active in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey.

Al-Muslim reported the violations she suffered in Type E Prison in Amed through her lawyer.

Lawyer Mohammed Sonmez spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency about his client, explaining that complaints have been filed against the individuals responsible for the violations against her.

Sonmez noted that the letter his client attempted to send on July 18 to Leader Abdullah Ocalan was confiscated and became the basis for opening a disciplinary investigation against her.

He explained that the reason for seizing the letter was the statement: “When I leave here, I will return to my homeland, Rojava, where I will build a communal life and strive to live with ecological awareness.”

The lawyer stated that the prison administration interpreted these statements as “instructions” and “organizational affiliation,” saying: “The use of the term Rojava in the letter was banned and subjected to censorship. It was considered as instructions and organizational affiliation. My client formally submitted a request to the prison administration regarding this matter, but the letter was neither sent nor returned to her.”

He continued: “At the beginning of the proceedings, we were told that if we removed the parts deemed sensitive from the letter, it would be resent through the mail. However, the letter was never returned to my client. Later, we discovered that the letter was placed under disciplinary supervision. We currently have a pending appeal with the prison administration awaiting review.”

Sonmez also noted that al-Muslim, who was transferred on August 14 to Gazî Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital due to health problems, was subjected to torture during transport. He explained: “When my client asked the gendarmerie accompanying her to remove her metal restraints, she was physically and verbally abused and humiliated. Later, before receiving medical examination, she was forcibly forced into the vehicle, and the assault continued inside it for some time. She was then removed from the vehicle for examination, but at the hospital entrance, she was again subjected to torture, harassment, and insults by gendarmerie personnel. After intervention by hospital staff and witnesses, the attacks against my client stopped.”

No medical report provided

Sonmez added that despite the assault, his client was not allowed to obtain a medical report from the hospital.

They filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in Amed, stating: “We requested the collection of necessary evidence, especially hospital camera footage and the assault report, and the investigation of all gendarmerie personnel and others involved. We will continue to pursue this investigation with determination.”

In her complaint to the public prosecutor in Amed, Habiba al-Khalil al-Muslim detailed the incident and emphasized that “there is no guarantee for her life inside the prison.”

A-H 

ANHA