Saturday, September 18, 2010

Colour pencils banned in F type prison

18 September 2010

Prisoners ask to "bring back colours in our lives"

The use of colored pencils has been banned in Tekirdağ 1 F Type Closed Prison No 1 owing to the circular of Ministry of Justice, which was issued 3 years ago. Calling to painters and artists, prisoner Mürteza Dağ stated; “The sensibility call you will make for the removal of the circular, will bring the ‘colors’ back to our lives.”

Besides the torture and isolation applications in F Type prisons, which are claimed to be designed in accordance with European Union (EU) rules, it came to light that even colored pencils are banned for prisoners. The application, which was implemented in conjuction with the circular of Ministry of Justice, has one more laid bare that F Type prisons pay no attention to the rulings of Human Rights Contract.

CALL TO PAINTERS

Tekirdağ 1 F Type Closed Prison No 1 prisoner Mürteza Dağ wrote a letter, remarking that they can’t get colored pencils to draw pictures. On his letter, Dağ made a “sensibility” call to artists and painters, asking for their support.

Dağ mentioned that the circular of Ministry of Justice, which restrains prisoners from using colored pencils and has been applied for 3 years , creates big difficulties in drawing pictures.

Dağ emphasized that his personal applications to Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Assembly Human Rights Board of Review remained inconclusive, making a call to painters as a last resort, to make an attempt for the removal of the law.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil

ZEYNEP KURAY - ANF / ANKARA

ANF NEWS AGENCY