No peace for children who suffered abuse in prison

30 May 2012


Fifteen children remanded in custody

Kurdish children who have been subjected to abuse and harassment in Pozantı prison are once again being targeted by the state. Fifteen out of 25 Pozantı victims who have been taken into custody in the last three months, have been arrested and their families were imposed a pecuniary penalty of 150.000 TL (some 75.000 euro).

The AKP regime doesn’t end targeting children who have been subject to rape, sexual abuse and torture in Pozantı prison.

The children have been subject to different kinds of pressure in Mersin where their families migrated after their villages Kurdistan region had been burnt down. Yet before getting over the inhuman practices in prison, the victim children are again and again arrested and sent to prison on charges of crimes linked to terrorism.

Some of the children who were transferred to the Sincan Closed Prison for Juveniles after the exposure of rape and sexual abuse in Pozantı Prison have been released to date at different dates.

In a recent statement on Pozantı children, Human Rights Association (IHD) Mersin Branch Chair Ali Tanrıverdi underlined that these children suffered from the revenge of the state. Tanrıverdi pointed out that that the children are once again arrested for the same reasons and put in Mersin Prison rather than a prison for juveniles.

The 15 children remanded in custody are charged with “opposing the law on meetings and demonstrations”, “resisting to officers on duty”, “membership of an illegal organization”, “keeping explosive substance”. The families of these 25 detained children were also imposed a pecuniary penalty of 150.000 TL on the grounds that their children damaged public property.

Arrested children Hasan Katan, Mahmut Aksel, Devrim Eriş, Cengiz Ergün, Alaattin Akgül, Berğudan Ertaş, Azad Bozkurt, Mehdi Aslan, Hasan Şeker, Ramazan Bıdık, Lokman Aydemir, Ahmet Budak, Remzi Akay and Hasan Kaya were sent to Mersin Closed Prison for adults.

ANF / MERSIN

ANF NEWS AGENCY