The Women of Prison no.5

 

“… One day the ceremony was held inside of the school because of rainy weather. I leaped up when the turkish national anthem was played very loudly. My students looked at me in a bewildered way and I could not say anything to them…”

 

Halide Dündar was the manager of Revolutionist Democratic Women Association (DDKAD) when she was arrested and brought to Diyarbakır Prison No. 5. at year 1980. Her offense was teaching Kurdish women how to read and write. She was just 20 when was evacuated from the prison where she was exposed to torture every day in 1982. She had an operation without her permission during her days in prison. She noticed that her ovary  was removed years later. She has been teaching mathematics since then.

 

Diyarbakır Prison No. 5 which has been built as the biggest prison in the region, was used as a special authoritarial military prison between 1980 and 1988 after the military coup.  More than 30,000 were jailed in the first four months after the coup. During the following years, Amnesty International received thousands of allegations of torture including reports of over 100 deaths as a result of torture. Diyarbakır Prison became one of the long lasting symbols of the coup due to the reports of hundreds of prisoners being subjected to torture and execution.

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This project was made for and with the support of Diyarbakır Prison No. 5 Museum Coordination Center.