Three Turkish prisoners die of coronavirus

ANKARA: Three Turkish prisoners have died from the coronavirus, Turkey´s justice minister said Monday as he announced the first cases of convicts diagnosed with the disease. A total of 17 convicts in five open prisons have contracted the virus, Abdulhamit Gul told reporters in Ankara. “Three of them unfortunately died during their treatment in hospital,” he said. Some convicts are sent to open prisons towards the end of their sentences to serve out the remainder of their punishment as the state prepares them for release. They are given permission to leave for temporary periods and must accept work, according to the Civil Society in Penal System Association.