Number of Turkish prisoners triple since 2002
Recent figures show the number of prisoners in Turkey has tripled since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
According to the figures released by the Turkish Bugun daily on Friday, the number of inmates in 2002 stood at 59,429, which has risen to 170,300 now.
The report claims that although Turkey has constructed an additional 94 prisons since 2002, the country’s total 361 detention facilities are not enough for its growing number of prisoners.
For example, the report says that the Denizli D-Type Prison is currently home to 1,337 convicts and 320 arrestees, although it can accommodate only 745 people.
The Bugun daily went on to say that the number of prisoners who lose their lives while in detention has also increased over the past few years.
A total of 3,079 inmates died while in jail between 2002 and the first seven months of 2015, with an average 300 dying every year since 2008.
The current alarming prison occupancy rate is higher than the country’s previous coup eras.
Records indicate there were a total of 56,511 people in jail during the March 12, 1970 coup, which rose to 61,463 in one year.
This comes as Turkey has been criticized for its crackdown on opposition members, as well as anti-government activists and protesters.
Under a notorious law, says a recent report, more people have been prosecuted for insulting Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan than those tried over criticizing the country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk over the past 64 years.
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