ŞIRNEX - Prisoner Yaşar Bayar's wife Dilber Bayar said that he is not being treated for vision loss and said: "If they take him to a hospital, he would have an operation on his eye, but they don't take him." 

 

Yaşar Bayar (37), who was arrested after being detained during the curfews in Silopi district of Şırnak in 2015, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "disrupting the unity and integrity of the state" and 15 years in prison for "attempting to kill a public officer". Bayar was held in Şırnak Type T Prison for 3 months and then transferred to Giresun Espiye Type L Prison. After the Court of Cassation upheld the sentence in June, Bayar was placed in solitary confinement in the prison. Bayar suffers from undiagnosed back pain and vision loss. Dilber Bayar shared that her husband told her in a phone call that he was not taken to the hospital and that his treatment was prevented. 

 

'HE IS NOT BEING TREATED' 

 

Stating that her husband’s eyesight is weakening, Bayar said: "My husband has an eye problem. His eyesight is gradually decreasing. However, he cannot receive treatment because he is not taken to the infirmary and hospital. He also has back pain. He needs treatment, but he is not being treated in prison. Both physically and psychologically his condition is not good. He is not taken to the hospital. Phone calls are interrupted. He already has a phone call with his family once every 15 days. Since there is no treatment, he does not know which medication to take. Since he is not taking medication, his illnesses are getting worse. If they take him to the hospital, he will have surgery on his eye, but they don't take him." 

 

'WE CAN'T GO BECAUSE IT'S FAR'

 

Bayar stated that they had difficulties going to see her husband because he was transferred to a distant prison and said: "We have a lot of difficulties when we go to see him. There are many problems caused by both the travel costs and the long journey. Our financial situation is not good, we can only visit him by borrowing money. I have 5 children.  The youngest is 10 years old. I take care of the children on my own, so we can only visit him twice a year, on holidays. This situation affects him psychologically very badly. He cannot see his wife and children. If we could go twice a month, it would be a morale booster for him." 

 

'THEY CONDEMN HIM TO DEATH'

 

Bayar said that prisoners are "condemned to death" with aggravated sentences. Bayar continued as follows: "They do not execute because there is no death penalty. But they execute them by punishing them in this way. It is very unfair to the prisoners and their families. There is a serious pressure on prisoners. This also affects the families very badly. Families are also punished. This persecution must end. They give high sentences to scare the people. My husband did nothing. He was sentenced to 42 years even though they had no evidence or witnesses."

 

Bayar asked democratic mass organizations and human rights organizations to stand up for the prisoners and to take initiatives for the treatment of ill prisoners. 

 

MA / Mahmut Altıntaş