A Letter from Bakirköy Womens Prison B/4

ISTANBUL | 01 – 02 – 2010 | I am an imprisoned journalist at the Bakırköy Women’s Prison. Approximately 5 months ago, I was arrested as a result of an obvious conspiracy. During this past time no formal charges have been placed. I am being imprisoned arbitrarily.
As you will understand, my court hearing date is unknown and there is no clarity on what charges I am being imprisoned. I will briefly touch upon the part of this incident that I call “conspiracy”:

I have been working as a journalist for Umut Publishing since a long time. Our periodical publications are  İşçi-Köylü  newspaper, Partizan and New Democratic Youth periodicals.  These are opposing publications with revolutionary-socialist content. Consequently, I am an opposing journalist. Since many years I have been open with my opposing identity. Besides residing at the same residence for the past 12 years I have been working at the Kartal office of the newspaper for over 3 years.

So, as is the case for all others who are opposition and are working for revolutionary organizations, my residence and what I was doing was well known by the police. Despite this, on 28th August 2009 I have been arrested by the police during a raid at my house. I have learned at the Istanbul Police Headquarter, where I was detained for 4 days that 3 young people had also been brought in. However, the individuals I mentioned, are individuals I do not know and had not seen before, and they do  not know me. When we were arrested we met at the police station. Consequently, they were arrested simultaneously.

Another issue I was curious to know during this period what kind of a link they would make between me and these people. And this is where the conspiracy is exposed! This is briefly the period leading to my arrest.

I would like to mention the conditions that I am in here:
We are been held in cells for two in a ward  with 12 cells. The airing is open from 8am till 18.00. One of the major issues here are the health issues. In case of a serious health issue, the transfer to a hospital can take 6-7 months or even longer. The medication prescribed by infirmary doctor, are mostly not based on correct diagnosis because there are not tests done.  I am 52 years old and due to a surgery I have ailments such as, rapid osteoporoses, an ulcer, hypertension, high cholesterol that I need to take regular and continuous medication for.  Some check ups and tests need to be done periodically. Due to my imprisonment I of course cannot have these done. Besides me there are many imprisoned friends who do not receive treatment for their serious illnesses.

I have tried to explain the situation here in general and specifically about my own situation. I would like to express the following; is that the situation I have faced has not surprised me at all.

Opponent press and opponent individuals have been facing these and similar assimilation-silencing undertakings for many years. The conspiracy around my arrest is one of these undertakings. And the continuation of these open attacks on opponent press and its workers should be exposed at every platform.
And this is what I have tried to do based upon my own situation:

To expose the consparitive and arbitrariness of my arrest!

05.01.2010

SUZAN ZENGİN
IMPROSENED JOUNRNALIST
BAKIRKÖY WOMENS PRISON  B/4
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The above letter has been sent by my spouse Suzan ZENGIN for me to forward to the public opinion.  In the night of 28th August ’09 our house was raided. My wife Suzan Zengin was detained as a result of this raid and after 4 days she was arrested as ordained by the court on duty on 31st August.

Regardless of the fact that under normal condition there are no offence  or evidence of any offence for her arrest, as a family we strongly believe that her arrest is arbitrarily and aiming to assimilate. Because; when she was taken from her house, the police officer who lead the operation, indicated that it would “not be necessary” to take her purse, signaling that this detainment would lead to an arrest.

Suzan Zengin has been working at the Kartal bureau of the revolutionary-socialist bi-weekly publication, İşçi-Köylü paper for years. She was practicing revolutionary journalism. The fact that she is working for a revolutionary-socialist paper has been made the reason for her arrest.

Regardless of the fact that Suzan Zengin’s address is known, that she has been living at the same residence for the past 12 year and has been the subject of observation for the police due to her work at the paper, “being apprehended” with a “ nightly operation” shows in the full meaning of the word that this is a conspiracy.  After all, it is apparent that the police are in a serious effort to arrest Suzan Zengin through conspiracy and intrigue by including individual she has no connection with to the same file as herself.

Suzan ZENGİN is having serious health issues. She is facing a more progressive form of osteoporoses. She needs to be tested every few months to measure her bone mass.  Since the day she was arrested, all her efforts have had result only after 4.5 months, on 12th January 2010 she was transferred to the hospital however the threats by the soldiers accompanying her, started immediately as soon as they had left the prison “we will not leave the room when the doctor wants to examine you; maybe you shouldn’t go” exposing their harassment.
Regardless of these threats my insisted on being taken to the hospital, she has been kept in the prison transfer truck for 4 hours, following this, she has been brought to the doctor without even her cuffs been taken off. She told the doctor; that the presence of the soldier in the room during examination is unacceptable considering the rights of the patient and the ethical relationship between doctor and patient, that this is considered sexual harassment and voyeurism and that it is a practice to humiliate prisoners. .

The doctor has asked the soldiers to leave the room for the examination, the soldiers refused to leave the room and the doctor hasn’t insisted and upon this my wife has refused to be examined under these circumstances. The soldiers locked Suzan ZENGİN once more in the prison transfer truck, and have not allowed her to even use the ladies room, thus turning this transfer to the hospital where she went for her health have been turned into a health torture.

My wife Suzan ZENGİN has protested against this implementation and has consequently filed a formal complaint at the Bakırköy Republic Public Prosecutor.

When it concerns woman prisoners the morality of the system decays bit by bit. By forcing the revolutionary women prisoners to be examined in the presence of the soldier, is an effort to humiliate the revolutionary women prisoners by forcing them to express problems/ illnesses in front of them that they can only share with the doctor. This being one side of the issue, the other however is to prevent revolutionary women prisoners from having health services and worsening the physical situation of the prisoners of whom they have not been able to imprison their thoughts.  Although the medication used by my wife have been prescribed in accordance with the tests and diagnosis before her imprisonment, are not allowed and her treatment is knowingly prevented. The medication that we bring her, are mostly not allowed to be entered into the prison and every time we’re having discussions with the management and there is no guarantee that the next time the medication will be allowed.

This shows that, my spouse Suzan ZENGİNs health issues will worsen under these prison conditions where the necessary check up and treatment will not be done. Those who have put her in prison were aiming this. Up to present there is no formal charge and no explanation has been given on why she has been arrested there. Her arrest was fully arbitrary and this is still ongoing.

In order to end this condition… In order to put a stop to the physical decay… I call upon all  revolutionary, democratic individuals and organizations to support Suzan ZENGİN and other revolutionary prisoners and to be in solidarity with them.

SUZAN ZENGİN SHOULD BE RELEASED!

BEKİR ZENGİN