The third working group (WG) meeting, aimed at reviewing and drafting amendments to the legislation on disciplinary sanctions and reward procedures for prisoners in Türkiye was held in Ankara on 15 November 2023.

Opening the meeting Mr Fatih Güngör, Deputy Director General of the Prisons and Detention Houses, praised the progress and joint efforts in harmonising the national legislation with the Council of Europe standards, principles of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and international best practices, following the recommendations made and views exchanged during the first and second working group meetings.

Some substantive and procedural proposals of Council of Europe consultants on disciplinary sanctions and reward proceedings were accepted after intense discussions, however some open issues remain such as whether or how to sanction hunger strikes, acts of self-harm and attempted suicide. The draft amendments modified as a result of this meeting will be presented to the stakeholders at a round table meeting in January 2024.

This meeting was followed by the first WG meeting to develop a Policy Paper on rewards and disciplinary sanctions applied to prisoners on 16 and 17 November 2023.

These WG meetings were organised within the scope of the Project on "Enhancing the Disciplinary and Reward Procedures for Prisoners in Türkiye” co-funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe, Norway, Belgium, Türkiye and the Netherlands.