Dr. İpek Elif Atayman, the former general manager of the İstanbul Municipality’s media company, has alleged her rights are being violated through abusive prison conditions and an unannounced transfer to another facility, following her arrest as part of a corruption investigation that also targeted Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing the T24 news website.
According to the T24 news website Atayman, arrested on March 23, spent 72 days in a one-person cell and five days in a shared cell at İstanbul’s Silivri Prison before being moved to Afyonkarahisar Closed Prison on June 5 without her family or lawyers being informed, T24 reported.
She described a seven-and-a-half-hour transfer in a one-square-meter armored cabin with her wrists handcuffed, given only a piece of bread. “My wrists are bruised from the handcuffs,” she said.
In the Afyon prison, Atayman reported sleeping on the floor due to poor prison conditions. Addressing Turkey’s justice minister, she said, “You said prisoners are entrusted to the state. Is this how they are cared for? End this physical and psychological abuse.”
The overcrowding in Turkey’s prisons has been a growing issue since 2005, with prison populations swelling annually. According to Ministry of Justice data, Turkey’s prisons now operate at 20 percent overcapacity, with the country leading Europe in both total prison population and incarceration rates per capita. The overcrowding leads to inmates sleeping on the floor.
Atayman, who worked for 20 months at Media A.Ş., a municipality-owned company managing advertising, public relations and communications projects, denies any financial irregularities or suspicious assets tied to her tenure.
She claims her transfer to Afyon makes family and lawyer visits difficult, particularly for her elderly relatives. Her family described her treatment as a “clear punishment” and a violation of rule of law principles, stating, “Elif is being tossed from cell to ward to another prison without any charges. If this isn’t punishment, what is? We only want justice. Release Elif and let her await trial without detention.”
The arrests targeting the İstanbul Municipality, including that of Mayor İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and his party’s presidential candidate for the next election, have sparkedTurkey’s worst protests in decades.
İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest is widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election.
The investigation into the municipality has led to the detention of 47 city officials and opposition members, with 30 arrested in İstanbul and Adana, according to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Critics argue the crackdown aims to silence opposition ahead of a potential early presidential election.