Prisoners held in Antalya L-Type Closed Prison have told relatives that meals served at the facility are poor in quality and far below the portions officially allocated per person, according to an April 2019 report.
The complaints say prisoners have been experiencing hunger for about two months because of inadequate food.
Appeals to the prison administration over unmet nutritional needs have reportedly gone unanswered.
Prisoners said the problem did not exist previously but began about two months ago.
They said the variety of meals had been reduced and that the same food was sometimes served on consecutive days.
The allegations point to possible violations of basic prison standards, including access to adequate nutrition and the obligation of prison authorities to respond to complaints from inmates.
The report also said some prisoners were denied the right to vote.
According to the prisoners’ accounts, some inmates were made to sign documents indicating that they would be able to vote at the prison on election day, but their right to vote was revoked at the last minute.
The prison administration reportedly did not respond to complaints about the denial of voting rights.
The claims add to broader concerns about conditions in Turkish prisons, where overcrowding, access to health care, disciplinary practices and restrictions on legal and family rights have been frequent subjects of complaints from prisoners and their relatives.
