The heavy burden of injustice: Occupancy rate in Silivri reaches 212%
BirGün has obtained data indicating the collapse of the justice system. According to this data, the occupancy rate in some blocks of Silivri Prison is 212%, 191% in Antalya L Type Prison, and 196% in Ümraniye E Type Prison.
The judiciary was one of the subjects most damaged during the AKP's time in power. During the AKP era, Turkey witnessed countless examples of the politicisation of the judiciary. The courts' unfair decisions against opponents destroyed trust in the judiciary, while Turkey fell further and further behind in the Rule of Law Index every year. Citizens' faith in justice has also declined day by day due to decisions made based on political concerns.
The opposition's most striking criticism of Turkey's judicial system is that ‘everyone who opposes the government is sent to prison on fabricated charges.’ Overcrowding statistics obtained by BirGün from Silivri, Ümraniye, Kartal and Maltepe prisons reveal a dramatic picture. It has been determined that all prisons are holding far more prisoners and convicts than their capacity allows.
NO SPACE TO SLEEP
Shocking statistics came to light following a complaint filed with the Public Oversight Institution (KDK) on 21 February 2025. A person serving a sentence at the Antalya L-Type Closed Prison requested transfer to a prison in İstanbul, where his family resides, but was told, ‘There are no available spots.’ The response also shared the occupancy rates of prisons in İstanbul. The data confirmed the validity of the criticism that ‘there is no room in prisons.’
OVERCROWDED
BirGün took a closer look at the quota letter from the Ministry of Justice's General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Centres, which was used as the reason for rejecting the prisoner's transfer request. In the letter dated 2 May 2025, it was stated that the Antalya L-Type Closed Prison had a capacity of 3,188 and an occupancy rate of 191%.
SHOCKING PICTURE IN SİLİVRİ
The occupancy rates at Marmara Prison, known to the public as Silivri Prison and referred to as ‘the home of the opposition’ due to the political prisoners and journalists held there, also attracted attention.
It was learned that the Marmara No. 8 L-Type Closed Prison has a capacity of 3,563 inmates and an occupancy rate of 212%.
KARTAL AND MALTEPE AT FULL CAPACITY
A similar situation was observed in the Ümraniye E-Type, T-Type, and Kartal H-Type prisons, as well as in the Maltepe Prison.
It was reported that the occupancy rate in Ümraniye reached 196%, in Kartal 146%, and in the Maltepe No. 1 L-Type High-Security Prison Facility 174%.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Adaletsizliğin ağır yükü: Silivri’de doluluk oranı yüzde 212, published in BirGün newspaper on July 7, 2025.
