Police Break 2 Lumbar Spines of Lawyer Balcı

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Lawyer Zeycan Balcı has been exposed to police attack whilst waiting for the press statement to be issued in front of the courthouse, police kicking her back and waist have broken two of her lumbar spines.

Seventh session of the hearing of the case in which 22 lawyers from the Progressive Jurists Association (ÇHD) are being tried took place at İstanbul 18th Heavy Penal Court. Following the hearing, the lawyers wanted to issue a press statement in front of İstanbul Justice Palace in Çağlayan.

The lawyer Balcı in her statement to bianet explained what happened as follows:

“We announced that we will issue press statement at the end of the hearing in order to inform as to the hearing. We exited and sat on the steps. I was sitting on the top of the steps.

“As soon as we sat, Riot Squad police officers intervened us and started to push with shield without any warning or effort for negotiation.

Police wanted to send to some other hospital

“They pulled the ones sitting on the steps one by one and stood them up by hitting with their shields. We remained on the top of the steps with my lawyer friend Ezgi Gökten. They pushed us from behind with the shields. One of the police in the front harshly pulled the hair of Ezgi, and I held her.

“Right at that moment the police behind me hit my back with his shield for 8-10 times. I felt a huge pain. The police stopped when I started screaming.

“Afterwards I couldn’t move, ambulance came. We went to Okmeydanı Hospital. However, police told ambulance as we are on the way they had to go to Şişli Etfal Hospital.

“They locked the ambulance’s door. I didn’t come down, I said that as a patient I have right to choose doctor and hospital, then they let me go to the Okmeydanı”.

Two lumbar spines broken

Lawyer Balcı expressed she was told at the hospital that two of her lumbar spines have been broken:

“The doctor said I will be in pain for at least a month, I can’t move, I lie all the time”.

Balcı said she didn’t see the police who hit her, they are looking for camera records, and will file a criminal complaint against the police.

Nine lawyers who are members and administrators of the ÇHD were detained within the scope of DHKP-C (the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front) operation in İstanbul on January 18, 2013. She was arrested on January 21, and they have been released a year after. The 22 lawyers are being tried on charges of “membership of [illegal] organization” and “managing [illegal] organization” at İstanbul 18th Heavy Penal Court. (AS/TK)