Prisoners who are ill in Turkey face a greater risk of infection during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Unfortunately, their health conditions in prisons are getting worse.

Despite reports by the Institute of Forensic Medicine (Adli Tıp Kurumu) that recommend that they “cannot stay in prison” during the pandemic, many prisoners who are ill and risk being infected in Turkey have not been released.

According to the Human Rights Association’s (İnsan Hakları Derneği’s) information, there are a total of 1,605 patients in prison, 604 of whom have severe health problems.

According to İHD’s data, a total of 50 prisoners died in prison in Turkey last year. In the first nine months of this year, a total of 38 prisoners, including 20 ill prisoners, died.

In the past week, 75-year-old retired teacher Takiyettin Özkahraman and 76-year-old Ali Boçnak, who were arrested on the alleged grounds of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” by reading the mawlid in the Koran in Kurdish, died in prison.

Nuray Çevirmen, a member of the İHD’s Central Executive Board, said that many prisoners are at risk of death in these circumstances.