20/04/2021 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Gülüstan Kılıç Kocyiğit asked the Minister of Justice about the experiences of French gay Jewish prisoner Fabien Azoulay: Violence, mistreatment, violation of the right to a fair trial…
Fabien Azoulay
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Muş MP Gülüstan Kılıç Kocyiğit asked Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül about the Turkish prison experiences of Fabien Azoulay, a gay Jewish prisoner from France.
Stating that Fabien Azoulay is a gay prisoner of French descent who is now a prisoner in Giresun Prison of Turkey, Koçyiğit reminded that his lawyers and family have been fighting for his return to France since 2017.
"In his letter to his family from Giresun Prison, where he is located, he repeatedly mentioned that he had been subjected to mistreatment, violence and threats.
"A campaign has been launched for the transfer of Fabien Azoulay, a French citizen, to France to continue the execution of his conviction that was ruled by the criminal court in Turkey."
MP Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit
Koçyiğit asked the Minister the following questions:
1- It has been confirmed by the Turkish ambassador to Paris that Fabien Azoulay was subjected to mistreatment and violence at Maltepe Prison, where he was sent for the execution of his sentence. Is there an investigation initiated by the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses of your Ministry?
2- The perpetrator, who was tried after the mistreatment and homophobic attack suffered by Fabien Azoulay, was sentenced to one year in prison. What was the categorization of these acts that should have been evaluated in the context of hate crimes?
3- It was stated that the prisoner suffered second-degree burns to his body after being subjected to a homophobic attack for being gay while in Maltepe Prison in November 2019. Have prison staff been interviewed as suspects of carrying out this attack?
4- Under the "European Convention on the Transfer of Prisoners", which France and Turkey have been party to since the 1980s, why was the application to have him repatriated to France not accepted?
5- According to the inmate's lawyers, the hearings lasted about five minutes each. Isn't that a violation of the right to a fair trial?
6- Did the acts of violence and mistreatment experienced by the prisoner first in Maltepe Prison and then in Giresun Prison, took place on the grounds that he had a gay and Jewish identity?
7- How many of the prisoners in Turkish prisons are foreign nationals?
8- How many prisoners in Turkish prisons have been subjected to violence based on their sexual identity? How many of these incidents have been investigated?
9- What kind of work does your Ministry carry out regarding the rights of LGBTI+ individuals in Turkish prisons?
Tags: human rights
