Source: “Trans Mahpuslar Açlık Grevinde!” (“Trans Prisoners are on Hunger Strike!”), kaosGL.org, 29 March 2014, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=16186

Trans prisoners in Samsun Bafra T-Type Prison have been on an indefinite hunger strike for 29 days to protest the transphobic attitudes of the prison administration.

Samsun Bafra T-Type Prison has previously been in the public arena for rights infringements directed at vegan anarchist prisoner Osman Evcan. The prison continues to expand its record of rights breaches.

Trans inmates began an indefinite hunger strike against the prison administration’s transphobic attitudes and rights breaches. Today (29 March 2014) is the 29th day of the strike.

Signature Campaign

There is also a petition to support trans prisoners’ demands and to initiate legal action against the prison staff responsible for committing rights infringements. The online campaign may be reached here [This link was no longer active at the time of translation]. The campaign letter reads:

“We call upon the Turkish Republic Ministry of Justice to end the prison administration’s transphobic and homophobic treatment and random rights breaches against trans prisoners who have been on an indefinite hunger strike for 28 days. This would eliminate the prisoners’ justification for continuing the strike. We demand health care for trans prisoners who have been on strike, an improvement in the prison’s conditions and legal action against prison staff engaged in random rights breaches.”

The Civil Society in the Penal System Foundation (Ceza İnfaz Sisteminde Sivil Toplum Derneği – CISST) has sent urgent appeals to the Parliament’s Human Rights Commission, the Turkish Human Rights Association, the Governorship of Samsun, the Provincial Human Rights Association in Samsun, the Prison Monitoring Board in Samsun and the Ministry of Justice General Directorate of Prisons. CISST has also scheduled a meeting with the prison administration for Monday.