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Turkey to build 193 new prisons due to unexpected rise in number of inmates

Silivri Prison in İstanbul has become a symbol of Turkey, the biggest jailer of journalists around the world. / AFP PHOTO / Yasin AKGUL

The Turkish Ministry of Justice said in a statement that Turkey plans to build 193 new prisons in the next five years due to an unexpected surge in the number of inmates, in response to an inquiry from an opposition deputy in parliament.

Deputy Chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Muharrem Erkek submitted a question to the ministry asking how many prisons are under construction in Turkey. In response, the ministry stated that 126 are currently being built, 23 are in the bidding process and 35 are in the planning phase, the Hürriyet daily reported.

The ministry also stated that as of December 2018, there were 389 prisons across Turkey with a total capacity of 211,838 people.

Turkey has been jailing people in mass numbers particularly since a failed coup in July 2016 on charges of coup involvement and terrorism without due process.

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