Joint Statement by Rights Organizations: Investigate Allegations of Torture

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) made a statement for the press in İstanbul, Diyarbakır and Ankara on the the Day of Solidarity with the Tortured today (June 26).

Supported by bar associations and medical chambers as well, the statement underlined that torture is a crime against humanity and shared a series of measures to be taken to investigate the recent allegations of torture.

'Report of Urfa Bar confirms torture allegations'

The statement has also underlined that after the State of Emergency was declared in the wake of coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the number of maltreatment and torture incidents increased.

Referring to the allegations of torture that came from Halfeti, Urfa after May 18, 2019, when 51 people were taken into custody, the statement has indicated that this process "has epitomized the extent to which absolute prohibition of torture is being violated in Turkey."

CLICK - Report on Halfeti by Urfa Bar Association

"In addition to the examinations and observations of our institutions, the report prepared by Urfa Bar Association based on their face-to-face meetings with the detained in prison, legal reports, detailed descriptions, observations and examinations has confirmed that the detained were subjected to torture and ill treatment", the organizations have stated further.

'The public was not informed, either'

On this occasion, the organizations have also referred to the allegations of torture in custody in the Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Ankara Directorate General of Security:

"It has been reported in the news that around 100 diplomats, who were previously discharged from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by a statutory decree and were being held in custody in the Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau, were tortured in detention."

CLICK - Report by Ankara Bar Regarding Allegations of Torture

Concluding the statement, the organizations have indicated,

"Moreover, Ayten Öztürk, who was taken into custody in 2018, stated in her case file that she was held in custody in an unregistered manner for 5.5 months and was tortured while in custody.

"Though there are strong evidence suggesting that torture and maltreatment were committed in the provinces of Urfa and Ankara, they were not investigated as seriously as the allegations themselves and the public was not informed about them, either." (AS/SD)