Amnesty backs Turkish prison complaints

The human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has added its voice to concerns expressed about prison reforms in Turkey.

Amnesty said it had evidence from doctors and lawyers that some prisoners were being tortured or ill-treated under the scheme, in which convicts are being transferred from large dormitory-style accommodation to smaller cells.

Opponents of the scheme say the smaller cells make it easier for prisoners to be mistreated without witnesses.

It called on the authorities in Ankara to put an immediate stop to abuse.

More than thirty prisoners and officials were killed last month during disturbances at twenty Turkish jails where prisoners rioted over the new arrangements.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service