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Child prisoners tortured and forced to take religious courses
PKK prisoners in Mardin E Type Prison have written a letter exposing the brutal treatment of children in the prison. The letter says that the children are subjected to torture and forced to attend religious courses.
The children, whose ages range from 13 to 16 and who were arrested at different times for throwing stones at the police, were sent to Mardin E Type Prison where they have been exposed to torture by prison officers and the prison administration. Children who are now over 18 have been taken to the blocks where PKK prisoners stay. They told the PKK prisoners what they underwent while they were staying in children’s blocks.
PKK prisoners told the stories of the children in a letter, saying that what the children had undergone was much more brutal than they could explain in the letter. The children were exposed to physical as well as psychological torture and were forced to receive courses in religion from a person the children called “imam”.
The letter also said that the children were afraid of explaining what they were exposed to as they are threatened, insulted and persecuted by the prison guards.
“One child could not get out of bed during the roll call as he had recently had an operation. The prison officers threw him from the bunk by pulling his leg. When his nose started to bleed, the other children in the block reacted. Then dozens of officers raided the block and beat the children, threatening to step on their heads if they didn’t remain silent. Then they carried out this threat by putting the children on the ground and treading on their heads many times”, the letter continued.
Children exposed to these tortures are also forced to read the Quran out loud as an “activity” by a person the children call “imam”, but whose name is unknown, writes the letter, adding that the children are not allowed to stay more than 10-15 minutes in the exercise yard.
The PKK prisoners say in the letter that the children are also not allowed to have contact with anyone except for a few persons, whose names remain a mystery, and add that what they explain in the letter is only a small part of the whole picture. The PKK prisoners end the letter with a warning that the situation requires an urgent solution and will give rise to bigger problems if nothing is done.