New high-security prisons have been in operation in Turkey since 2020. Officially, they are called S, R and Y type prisons. The prisoners refer to them as ‘pit-type prisons’. Because it feels like being thrown into a pit and having the lid closed over you. It can be summarised as follows: No sun, no air (circulation), no people.
PIT-TYPE PRISONS
Former Grup Yorum prisoner Vedat Doğan, who was in such a pit-type prison and went on an indefinite hunger strike for 178 days, comments as follows:
“No one should feel safe from ending up in these prisons one day.
State repression aims to turn us into stones, hidden away at the bottom of a pit. They try to drive you mad, to make you lose your mind.
We also know about the CHP arrests system-internal opposition party), where prisoners are put in these pit types. They bring people here. Then they pressure the prisoners into collaboration. Because the conditions here are not bearable.
At the same time, the pit type prisons are used as a means of blackmail.
We did not go on hunger strike to make our tormentors feel guilty. With the hunger strikes, we appeal to the conscience of the people.”
Vedat Doğan was released. But the pit-type prisons still haunt him in his dreams. The revolutionary prisoners are therefore actively resisting the pit-type prisons.
The demands are quite simple: the transfer from the pit-type prison to an F-type prison.
F-type prisons are also high-security prisons with solitary confinement. But after the death fast resistance between 2000 and 2007, which cost 122 people their lives, solitary confinement was abolished, not architecturally, but in practice. The courtyard and the cell are one unit. There is only a door between them. And this door is open all day. So you can go in and out as you please.
In addition, nine prisoners have the right to meet once a week for ten hours to talk to each other. Visiting and telephone privileges are also somewhat more relaxed. You can also receive visits and phone calls from friends and comrades.
There is resistance in Turkey against pit-type prisons. So far, all of it has been successful.
To date, the following hunger strikes have taken place:
- March 2020 – Şerif Turunç (52 days on hunger strike)
- 1 May 2023 – Nedim Öztürk (138 days on hunger strike)
- 2 May 2023 Cemil Kurt (129 days)
- 2 May 2023 Alisan Gül (129 days)
- 13 September 2023 – Hüseyin Karaoğlan (143 days on hunger strike)
- 20 October 2023 – Nurettin Kaya (273 days on hunger strike)
- Sezgin Zengin (100 days on hunger strike)
- 24 February 2024 – Oktay Kelebek and Cem Dursun (181 days on hunger strike)
- 29 March 2024 – Rezzan Şengül (182 days on hunger strike)
- 3 April 2024 – Vedat Doğan (177 days on hunger strike)
- 17 April 2024 – Halil Yakut (100 days on hunger strike)
- 21 August 2024 – Mehmet Güvel (2 days on hunger strike) (Mehmet Güvel is 80 years old, a veteran of the Death Fast and a cancer patient).
- 20 October 2024 – Sercan Ahmet Arslan (243 days on hunger strike)
- 10 November 2024 – Serkan Onur Yılmaz (375 days on hunger strike; after 212 days on hunger strike, he was transferred to an F-type prison. He then continued to fight for his comrades.)
- 13 November 2024 – Ferdi İşçi (72 days on hunger strike),
- Mulla Zincir (176 days on hunger strike)
- 19 December 2024 – Bakican Işık (180 days on hunger strike)
- 2 December 2024 – Ali Ülgü (62 days on hunger strike)
- 1 January 2025 – Yurdagül Gümüş (171 days on hunger strike)
- 6 January 2025 – Sadık Çelik (30 days on hunger strike)
- 13 February 2025 – Mithat Öztürk (191 days on hunger strike)
- 18 February 2025 – Ali Hasan Akgül (144 days on hunger strike)
- 18 February 2025 – Ali Aracı (199 days on hunger strike)
- 29 May 2025- Ümit Cobanoglu (200 days)
- 30 March 2025- Fikret Akar (250 days on hunger strike)
- Ayberk Demirdögenn (293 days on hunger strike)
SICK PRISONERS
Another major problem is sick prisoners.
Here is a translation from the relatives of particularly serious cases: Ufuk Keskin, Irfan Yilmaz, Hasan Karapinar.
Fascism in Turkey intends to murder sick prisoners by not releasing them and preventing and hindering their medical treatment.
Lerzan Caner, who read a statement on behalf of TAYAD, emphasised the following:
Ufuk Keskin is the most urgent case among the sick prisoners. He has type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease, which require conflicting diets.
His face and eyes are swollen due to coeliac disease, his life is in danger, and he must eat gluten-free food. But the prison doctor says, ‘You eat what is cooked in prison. There are no special requests.’ We will file criminal charges against the prison administration and the doctor.
We will not allow our relatives to be murdered. This is a humanitarian demand and has to do with the right to life.
Ufuk Keskin’s comrade Ali Dilmen is also on an indefinite hunger strike demanding that his diet be implemented. Today is the 134th day of his indefinite hunger strike.
The arrest of Irfan Yilmaz represents the height of absurdity. Irfan Yılmaz must be released immediately.
There have been rumours that sick prisoners are to be released under the new Penal Code. There should be no discrimination between sick prisoners; they should all be released.
CANCER PATIENT PRISONER HASAN KOYUPINAR
There are also sick prisoners with cancer. One of them, Hasan Karapınar, who was under house arrest, was arrested and detained under torture, and his treatment was not completed. He should be released immediately and allowed to undergo treatment in freedom under appropriate conditions.
Another prisoner, İhsan Bulut, is in the same situation as Hasan Karapınar. They should be transferred to hospital immediately and released so that they can complete their treatment outside.
Ufuk Keskin, İrfan Yılmaz, Hasan Karapınar and İhsan Bulut, who are in the most urgent situation, must be released immediately without conditions and without discrimination.
A statement from TAYAD member Fahrettin Keskin, Ufuk Keskin’s father, was also read out:
“When they put him in the pit-type prison, one of his friends (Sercan Ahmet Arslan) went on hunger strike to have Ufuk transferred to another prison.
The demands were met. But after this demand was accepted, they took Ufuk to Kandıra F-Type Prison No. 2.
From the day he was taken to Kandıra F-Type Prison No. 2 until today, Ufuk’s diet has not been implemented in any way.
There is a psychologist who says, ‘You will eat whatever is available in prison. We will not prepare any other food for you, and I will not take care of you, I will not come to give you anything…’
I then requested a meeting with the prison director. But to no avail.
The ‘chief warden’ came and said, ‘We prepare food for Ufuk according to his diet and give it to him.’ He is lying.
I want all sick prisoners to be released.”
So, as you can see, the rights of prisoners must be fought for both inside and outside. Without our solidarity, they are defenceless against the prison administration.
We would like to tell you about two struggles in Turkey:
SIT-IN IN KURTULUS PARK IN ANKARA
Since 1 September 2025, i.e. for almost four months, the TAYAD families have been staging a sit-in in Kurtulus Park in Ankara. Their goal is to inform the public about pit-type prisons and hunger strikes. A press statement is read out every day. Exhibitions and similar events have also been organised.
The sit-in has attracted a great deal of interest and enjoys broad support among the population. Despite all the reprisals and state terror.
This sit-in strike will end on December 31, at the end of the year, as it was conducted in support of the death fast resistance, and no one is currently on death fast anymore.
The situation is similar with a solidarity campaign in Izmir. An information campaign has been taking place in Izmir Sirinyer for 50 days. A press statement is issued every day.
