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ARCHIVE - A Turkish soldier in front of the Silivri prison complex. Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP/dpa/Archive image
Keystone
Human rights activists are sounding the alarm about the conditions of detention in Turkish prisons. There are reports of prisoners sharing beds, sleeping on the floor and having limited access to toilets, showers and hygiene products, explained the Istanbul-based human rights organization CISST. Extreme overcrowding in prisons leads to conditions that violate the basic rights of prisoners.
According to official figures from the Turkish Ministry of Justice, more than 402,000 people were imprisoned in Turkish prisons at the beginning of 2026, although capacity was significantly lower. According to the ministry, the 403 prisons in Turkey have space for around 305,000 people. According to CISST, overcrowding also places a considerable burden on medical care and exacerbates psychological problems such as anxiety, aggression and exhaustion.
According to figures from the Council of Europe, Turkey was one of the member states with the highest incarceration rate in 2024, with 356 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. In Germany, the figure is 71 per 100,000 inhabitants. The report also assumes that prison staff in Turkey are understaffed. During the reign of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, the prison population almost quadrupled (+369 percent) between 2005 and 2024, despite a recent slight decline.
In connection with investigations into the Istanbul city administration surrounding the deposed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the media reported that some detainees were sleeping in shifts.
According to CISST, the situation is particularly problematic for women, mothers with small children as well as elderly and sick prisoners. According to the organization, detainees in the Bakirköy women's prison in Istanbul sometimes have to sleep in communal areas with a high noise level due to a lack of space.
The government is also aware of the problem of overcrowding. For example, new prisons are to be built in eleven cities by 2027, as the newspaper "Cumhuriyet" reports. A judicial reform was also recently passed which, according to observers, should also help to relieve pressure on prisons.
CISST said that custodial sentences and pre-trial detention would continue to be used on a large scale, although the law provides for alternatives. The construction of new prisons is not a sustainable solution, but rather consolidates the existing practice.
24.01.2026, 08:20
