Police at NATO Protest Should Stand Trial

More than 100 people, who were injured during police intervention in the NATO protests in Istanbul's Okmeydani, Taksim, Mecidiyekoy and Galatasaray districts, applied to the Istanbul branch of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV) and asked for medical support.

Police had fired gas cannons and beat some protesters with clubs during the demonstrations against the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul.

TIHV is offering intensive medical support to 63 of the applicants with serious conditions.

"For our treatment and rehabilitation services to be effective, the police officers who were violent against those who were using their meeting and demonstration rights, should be tried at once," said TIHV over the weekend.

TIHV called on the government to show political will about the issue.

According to the foundation, eight people out of the 63 have broken noses, hands or legs, one person has a dislocated shoulder, three people have gun wounds, one person has an asthma attack because of the gas cannons, one person has brain concussion, one person has cut hand tendons and 11 others are injured.

The gas cannons affected all 63 people and all had muscle, joint, and soft tissue damage of varied seriousness, said TIHV.

The foundation emphasized that the security forces are responsible for ensuring everyone's security, including those demonstrating against NATO and Bush. It added that the protesters were using their meeting and demonstration rights." It is a serious concern that the security forces themselves have become a threat to security," said a statement from TIHV.

"Besides those who were directly involved in the incident, everyone witnessed what went on. Thus, the police violence became a threat to the health of the Turkish people," it added. (YS/EU/EA/YE)