There is no concrete information about how many patients are in prisons who are sick and can’t make themselves heard. Merve Gökkaya, who has been under detention in Konya Eregli Prison for 37 months, sent a letter to one of her friends 3.5 months ago and explained her despair and sickness.
SEVİNÇ ÖZARSLAN
BOLD- In her letters, Merve Gökkaya says that she cannot meet her needs such as eating, drinking and going to the toilet alone, and she struggles to survive in prison with the help of two people and expresses her undiagnosed disease and sufferings:
“… I and my husband have been detained for 33 months. During this time, I had an undiagnosed disease. At frequent intervals, my whole body has muscle stiffness and I cannot move at all. Since I have not started a definite treatment, I have constant attacks and when I have an attack, I cannot meet any of my needs alone. I always spend my days in need of somebody’s help. Despite many tests and examinations, the diagnosis cannot be made because immediate referral to the hospital can’t be possible in the moments when I have an attack.”
Gökkaya emphasizes the impossibility to put into words what it is like to live in such a difficult conditions in a narrow cold environment: “I am struggling to survive in prison by going up and down the ladders every day with the help of someone while others glancing me pitifully, moreover I difficulty stand in bathroom and I have to wait for someone’s help all the time. When I have an attack, I can’t get up from where I sat, and I can’t even lift one of my legs. In some times, I can’t move my fingers, so I can eat and drink with the help of someone.”
DOCTORS TOOK BACK THE DIAGNOSIS
Gökkaya says that since 2017 she has been having a difficult and painful process by keeping to have attacks. She says that doctors first diagnosed Ankylosing Spondylitis but then they took back the diagnosis. Gökkaya expresses the treatment and helplessness while she was being taken to the hospital with the words: “I don’t know how to explain, there is no way to tell my sufferings.”
“When I was referred to the hospital, trying to walk crippled while my hands were handcuffed, begging someone for help while getting on and off the shuttlebus, being taken to doctor as a young crying person at a wheelchair (my hands were handcuffed), being brought back without any results, and experiencing the same things over and over again were… How can I tell you about the pain, the difficulties and the agony I have suffered during this time? She says.
I WAS IMPRISONED WITH A SLANDER
Merve Gökkayya (29), who was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months imprisonment with the allegation of being a member of an illegal organization: “in the prime of my life and in the early years of my marriage, I was imprisoned with a slander while I had new dreams, and I am still being detained even though my health condition is getting worse.
She calls for eviction by saying ‘Why am I being kept here so long?’ ”
According to Article 16/6 of the Penal Code No. 5275, patients who cannot meet their needs in prison alone should be released. The law says:
“The execution of the penalty of a convict who cannot continue his life in prison conditions due to a severe illness or disability or who are evaluated to constitute no severe or substantial danger in terms of social security may be deferred until his/her recovery according to the procedures determined in the third paragraph.”
According to the report of the Human Rights Association’s Central Prisons Commission, there are 1333 detainees in prisons and 457 of them are seriously ill.
PAINFUL LETTERS OF MERVE GÖKKAYYA …
LETTER 1
“I have been imprisoned for 33 months with a sentence of 7 years and 6 months in Konya Eregli Penal institution. I’ve been trying to deal with my health problems for so many years I have been imprisoned. Impossibility and adverse conditions (chilliness of the environment, dress restriction, inadequate meals, two-storied ward stairs to climb up and down every day, treatment and control is not sufficient, need for help from another person at any time, etc.) in the institution increase my disease severely. Neither the given medications nor the injected needles affected positively to my health condition. Even though I was taken to different doctors several times during this period, no cure could be found and no diagnosis could be made.
It is impossible to put into words what it is like to live in difficult conditions in a narrow space and in a chilling ward. I am struggling to survive in prison by going up and down the 24 steps ladders every day with the help of someone while others glancing me pitifully, moreover I difficulty stand in the bathroom and I have to wait for someone’s help all the time. When I have an attack, I can’t get up from where I sat, and I can’t even lift one of my legs. In some times, I can’t move my fingers, so I can eat my meal and drink my tea with the help of someone.
HOW CAN I DESCRIBE THE FAILURE OF MY TREATMENT?
In those times, when I can’t get up from where I sit, I try to meet my needs by standing up with the help of someone. While all this is happening, I don’t know how to describe the inability of people to do something for my treatment and my inability to do something for myself. Or when I can’t even write a petition when my hand, arm, and shoulders are stuck, how can I express my needs, demands, and situation? Here in prison, everything is dependent on petitions.
TO BE TAKEN TO A DOCTOR WHILE CRYING AND CRIPPLING…
When I was referred to the hospital, trying to walk crippled while my hands were handcuffed, begging someone for help while getting on and off the shuttlebus, being taken to doctor as a young crying person at a wheelchair (my hands were handcuffed), being brought back without any results, and experiencing the same things over and over again were… How can I tell you about the pain, the difficulties and the agony I have suffered during this time?
I WAS IMPRISONED WITH A SLANDER
In the prime of my life and in the early years of my marriage, I was imprisoned with a slander while I had new dreams, and I am still being detained even though my health condition is getting worse. Every day spent here compulsorily causes me to lose my health, mental health, my body, my home, my husband, my family, and most importantly my ability to give birth. However, the authorities that cause all these ignore my situation. Why am I being kept here so long?
I HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED TO DEATH WITHIN FOUR WALLS
Even though the Board of Justice has the options of forensic control or electronic clamping in detentions, I have been condemned to death within four walls without considering my illnesses, mental health, and my long detention duration. Every second here is against my health and I’m desperately waiting without knowing how to deal with all my pains and my attacks that restrict my movements.
Reports of my health status and illnesses are available in my file. Of course, my innocence will come out one day and justice will truly be fulfilled. When the misjudgment given to me dismiss one day, how will it be possible to compensate this damage and how will my health that I have started to lose be compensated?
I AM DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIND A CURE FOR MY ILLNESSES
In April 2016, I had to have an IVF with the risk that I would never have another child. After the negative result, my second treatment, which we had to be done again without losing time, could not be realized because we were arrested together with my husband. I am afraid that we have lost our last chance to become a family because of the last 3 years. I do not know about my fate in this matter. My ovaries are decreasing day by day and I’m at risk. I want to be a mother too, and it hurts me that I can’t do anything for my treatment.
The chances of not being a mother are increasing day by day, and that seriously affects my psychology. I am very afraid of having gone through an irreversible process. In addition, the request for an urgent repetition of the treatment given by the IVF Center was submitted to be included in my file during the hearing, but it was not taken into consideration by the committee. I’m desperately trying to find a cure for my illnesses. Unfortunately, I can’t find it because I’m unjustly a prisoner.
(Editor’s note: Merve Gökkaya briefly summarized her situation in the same letter and asked her friend to send these letters to different people.)
My husband and I personally have been imprisoned for 33 months with a sentence of 7 years and 6 months in Konya Eregli Penal institution. During this time, I had an undiagnosed disease. At frequent intervals, my whole body has muscle stiffness and I cannot move at all. Since I have not started a definite treatment, I have constant attacks and when I have an attack, I cannot meet any of my needs alone. I always spend my days in need of somebody’s help. Despite many tests and examinations, the diagnosis cannot be made because immediate referral to the hospital can’t be possible in the moments when I have an attack.
Externally, in April 2016, I had to have IVF treatment because of the rapid removal of my ovaries and the negative result came out. My treatment, which had to be repeated in a short time (4-5 months later) without a break, was not carried out since we were arrested together with my husband. I lose my ability to be a mother, and every day I spend here works negatively for my health. Many people in my situation are currently on trial without detention. Although I have applied to many higher authorities with letters and petitions, I have not received a positive return. I’m in a very desperate situation.
LETTER 2
SYMPTOMS OF MY SICKNESS
In 2017, my whole body began to be stuck. I’ve never had any discomfort like this before. Sometimes I was stuck without a reason. Sometimes I was stuck either when I was cleaning my clothes or washing the dishes.
HAD ATTACKS 4 TIMES, MY BODY WAS STUCK
The body parts were different each time, but I had the attacks so often. For example, only my back was completely stuck, the front of my legs and my ankles were stuck, all of my legs or only backside of them and my hips were stuck. My arms, wrists, hands, and fingers were all stuck. At one time my chest, and very often my shoulder and neck were stuck. And all those attacks that I’ve written were sometimes separately and sometimes a few merged and happened frequently. I’ve had four attacks so far. What I mean from these attacks is my whole body was stiff. I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t even move. I could only meet my needs and eat my meal with the help of two people. I had these attacks for 2-3 days. It started to happen twice a week for a year while it was once in 2-3 months.
I noticed that my body temperature increased with deadness when I have an attack. And I realized that my muscles were completely stressed and then I became still. Once, my spine was stuck up to the coccyx and I could not move at all. I feel pain in my hip and my coccyx every day, every hour. When I sat down for 10 minutes, I perceived the pain and then that part was stuck, symptoms were the same while standing…
Especially when the upper part of my legs was stuck, small veins emerged (it looked like cracked soil) and when I pressed and pulled the parts that were stuck with my hand, I saw that my touch traces remained for a while and the color changed as if there was swelling. The nurse said it’s edema. When I have an attack, I have an injection (DOLINE), then I relive in 3-4 days. If I don’t have an injection, it takes more than one week.
WHY DO I GET STUCK CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD
In 2017, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis by a ramatology specialist (Meram Medical Faculty Konya). When there was a pain, he told me to take 25 mg of Endal pills. As attacks increased day by day, I wanted to be referred again. I was taken to FTR and ramatology specialists 1-2 times. CRP-20 appeared once in my blood, but there was nothing in the MRI scan and the results of the analysis did not appear as the first result, the diagnosis remained vague.
Why I’m getting stuck is not understood. They are trying to find a solution with muscle relaxants. My sickness progresses day by day.
Until now, FTR – Ramatology specialists have prescribed and used the following drugs:
– Etotio 400 mg / 8 mg 8 (Etodolac thiacolchicoside)
– Naprosyn 750 mg (Naproxen) – Aprol Ford 550 mg (Naproxen Seydum)
– Endal 25 mg (Indomethacin) * Endal 100 mg Suppository (Indomethacin Suppository)
– Rantudil 90 mg (Asemetazine) * Rantudil Forte 60 mg (Asemetazine)
– Doline (Injection).
I have used all these medications from time to time. I have to leave the ones with high milligrams because I have an ulcer in my stomach and I have no gall bladder. When I have an attack, I was told to use Endal 25 mg, but I did not see any benefit, and when I took the others, they temporarily relieved my pain.
EVERY MORNING I WAIT FOR HALF AN HOUR TO MOVE AGAIN AFTER ATTACKS
Again I do the waist exercises given by the doctor but I have difficulty doing some of them. I can’t stand back because of pain and numbness when bending my knees. When I try to stretch my legs straight, there is a pulling behind the kneecap, I cannot stretch them and the pain in my coccyx and hip bones is exacerbated. This pain is always there, even if I don’t have an attack. Every morning when I wake up, my hands, fingers, and knuckles get stuck and have contractions. Every morning I wait for half an hour to move my stuck body parts. It doesn’t have any swelling, soreness, etc. but it’s only internal pain and stiffness.
I CANNOT STAND FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES
While sitting on the chair, I notice that my knees and ankles are numb and aching. I cannot stand for more than 15 minutes. After this time, my hips and waist start to be stuck up to my legs. I can’t lie on my back for a long time when I go to bed. When I lie to my right there is a pain, I can only sleep comfortably by lying to the left and pulling my knees towards my chest. It takes me half an hour to get this proper position.
My pain is increasing at night. After 10 minutes, I can only get up from my bed. While holding the pen, my fingers are stuck (my fingers are now stuck and they stay that way when I release the pen) and I wait for a 10 min to use them again. These attacks severely limit my movements. Currently, no diagnosis has been made and the last Ankylosanspondilitis diagnosis was canceled. I don’t know what to do. So I need advice and guidance.