Jan 21, 2015

Rosida Koyuncu, 26, is an ex-convict and a homosexual. During 21 months in jail, he was mistreated by prison staff and attacked by fellow inmates. To escape the abuse, he spent five months in solitary confinement, just like dozens of other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inmates in Turkish prisons. LGBT individuals often end up in solitary confinement after being issued medical reports diagnosing them as sick or when facing the threat of violence and sexual harassment.

According to the Justice Ministry, 79 LGBT individuals are currently imprisoned. The actual number, however, is likely higher, as the ministry figure is believed to include only acknowledged, man-to-woman transsexuals, and many homosexuals conceal their sexual orientation. Turkey only provides separate wards for transsexuals in facilities in Istanbul, Ankara and Corum. In other places, transsexuals who have obtained a (pink) female national ID card are put in women’s wards, while those who have (blue) male ID cards are housed in men’s wards. Homosexuals are assigned to wards according to their gender.

In Turkey, LGBT individuals are subjected to various forms of discrimination in prison, just as they are in the broader society. Koyuncu, who was incarcerated two years ago in a prison in northwest Turkey on charges of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), experienced a series of hardships. He recounted them to Al-Monitor:

When I first went to prison, I didn’t reveal my sexual orientation. But the prison administration soon found out I was a homosexual after a quick investigation showed that I had participated in LGBT demonstrations. They wanted to send me for a general medical checkup. I resisted, because the checkup involves an anal examination. Then they forced me to go to a psychiatrist, because in their view, homosexuality is a disease, and I had to have a medical report for it. The report would have allowed them to put me in solitary confinement, but the psychiatrist refused to issue the report.

My fellow inmates knew of my sexual orientation, but had no objections. Yet, soon the prison administration moved me to another ward. They put me together with an elderly imam, who treated me with respect. Then I was moved again, to another ward. The inmates there knew my sexual orientation and began to ostracize and insult me for trivial reasons. Eventually one of them attacked me and beat me up. I was subjected to harsh insults and swearing. I couldn't take it any longer and was forced to accept the solitary confinement the prison administration had wanted to impose on me from the very beginning. I spent five months in solitary.