Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Mehmet Aslan was detained and arrested by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on January 5, following a raid on his home. It was claimed that Aslan was subjected to strip search at the enterance of the prison. Speaking to his brother, Mehmet Şirin Aslan confirmed that the claim was true.

 

STRIP SEARCH

 

Pointing out that the strip search his brother was subjected to was degrading and dishonourable, Aslan told that strip search is becoming widespread in prisons. Underlining that he his brother objected to this situation and expressed his objection to the prison administration, Aslan said that he demanded that the camera recordings of the incident. Aslan said: "He told that the prison administration did not process his application. He said he will never submit to these practices as a journalist and continue to speak up and being behind bars will not stop him." 

 

Explaining that his brother told him they are not given enough food because they support the hunger strike against the isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Aslan said: "Hasan Yakut, Ferhat Konuk and Hasan Katar are on hunger strike. But the food distributed to prisoners are now in smaller portions due to their support for the hunger strike even though they are not personally on hunger strike. 

 

HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu brought the subject of Aslan being strip searched on the parliamentary agenda in his speech yesterday. Gergerlioğlu said: "Brother of Mesopotamia Agency reporter Mehmet Aslan called me yesterday and told me his brother was strip searched in Antalya Type L Prison."