As is the case since the establishment of our Association, we continued to work also in 2023 to secure fundamental human rights in prisons. We monitored and reported the prison conditions, we provided counselling to the prisoners and their kin, we informed the press and international organizations, and we continued to compel the public agencies to be accountable. After a protracted lockdown, it was pleasing to meet and be face-to-face with both our team and our partners during the many activities we carried out. Despite all challenges, 2023 has been a year in which we nurtured solidarity, established more links with the civic space, and produced more with our partners.

CİSST is aware of the risk of prisons which are confined spaces in terms of human rights
violations, since the prisons are isolated from the society in every sense. These violations sometimes continue successively until they reach the level of violation of the right to life, and cannot be communicated to the “outside world”. In this context, CİSST aims to form public opinion by raising public awareness and sensitivity by means of effective advocacy activities. In addition, as an organisation that communicates with all the political and judicial prisoners in Turkey, CİSST aims to increase the engagement and capacity of all the civil actors in this field (including itself).
The prisoners represent a vulnerable group with regard to access to and demand for rights, also due to
the prejudices against them in the society. Nevertheless, it is rather important that numerous stakeholders (public institutions, political parties, MPs, press outlets, non-governmental organisations, etc.) carry out simultaneous and harmonious efforts in order to make the conditions of Turkish prisons compatible with universal values and standards in the context of human rights. Therefore, CİSST aims to positively change the approaches and attitudes of other actors in the field with respect to prisoners’ rights, and to ensure their sensitivity to rights violations.
Consequently, CİSST builds all its activities around ensuring these fundamental changes. CİSST believes that the conditions of Turkish prisons will improve and the prisoners’ access to their rights will increase through the implementation of these medium- and long-term changes.

CİSST is aware of the risk of prisons which are confined spaces in terms of human rights
violations, since the prisons are isolated from the society in every sense. These violations sometimes continue successively until they reach the level of violation of the right to life, and cannot be communicated to the “outside world”. In this context, CİSST aims to form public opinion by raising public awareness and sensitivity by means of effective advocacy activities. In addition, as an organisation that communicates with all the political and judicial prisoners in Turkey, CİSST aims to increase the engagement and capacity of all the civil actors in this field (including itself).
The prisoners represent a vulnerable group with regard to access to and demand for rights, also due to
the prejudices against them in the society. Nevertheless, it is rather important that numerous stakeholders (public institutions, political parties, MPs, press outlets, non-governmental organisations, etc.) carry out simultaneous and harmonious efforts in order to make the conditions of Turkish prisons compatible with universal values and standards in the context of human rights. Therefore, CİSST aims to positively change the approaches and attitudes of other actors in the field with respect to prisoners’ rights, and to ensure their sensitivity to rights violations.
Consequently, CİSST builds all its activities around ensuring these fundamental changes. CİSST believes that the conditions of Turkish prisons will improve and the prisoners’ access to their rights will increase through the implementation of these medium- and long-term changes.

This report, which contains information on CISST activities in 2020, is the first of the reports that CISST aims to issue regularly every year. You can find detailed information about the activities we have carried out during the year, the activities we have organized, our campaigns, and the publications we have prepared in this report.