18 killed in Turkish prison raids

Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk told reporters in Ankara that 16 prisoners and two soldiers had been killed in the raids. A total of 78 inmates and four soldiers had been injured. He said that most of the prisoners had died after setting themselves on fire.

The minister's statement came as security forces resumed operations Wednesday morning at Istanbul's Umraniye Prison and Canakkale Prison, the last two jails not under total control.

The raids were launched early Tuesday to bring about an end to a two-month hunger strike by more than 1,100 mainly left-wing prisoners protesting against plans to introduce cell-type prisons that inmates say will lead to human rights abuses. "This operation was conducted in order to rescue people who were pushed to suicide under the pressure of there organizations," Turk said.

Describing the continued resistance of prisoners at the two Istanbul jails as meaningless, Turk said there was no way that the government would allow a return to the ward system of housing large numbers of prisoners in a single room. The government has complained on a number of occasions that terrorist groups are able to control prisons through the ward system

(la/dpa)