‘Is there an investigation against police officer who wounded 2 citizens?’

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Hakkari MP Sait Dede has submitted a Parliamentary question regarding the incident where a police officer shot Remzi Duran and Metin Öztunç in the leg amid a road rage in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Hakkari.

In his Parliamentary question addressed to Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, HDP MP Said Dede has said:

"In a dispute that occured in the traffic on Bulvar Street in central Hakkari on December 2, a person identified as a police officer hurled heavy swears and wounded citizens named Remzi Duran and Metin Öztunç by shooting them in the leg with his service pistol in his waistband. It has caused public concern that the perpetrator was a police officer and opened fire on people with the gun entrusted to him by the state while hurling swears."

'Is he still on duty?'

Within this context, HDP Hakkari MP Dede has asked a series of questions to Minister of Interior Soylu, including the following:

"Is there a legal or administrative investigation against the police officer who wounded citizens Remzi Duran and Metin Öztunç by shooting them?

"Is the police officer who hurled heavy swears to the people around and shot people with a gun by acting in a mafia-like manner still on duty? If yes, are you considering dismissing the Hakkari Provincial Security Director, who has not fulfilled the requirements of an administrative investigation?

"Are you thinking of inquiring the reasons why the number of injuries and deaths caused by law enforcement in several places, especially in Hakkari, has recently increased; are you thinking of taking measures?

"As of the date of response to the question, how many law enforcement officers have faced a legal or administrative investigation and how many officers have got involved in a crime over the last five years?

"As of the date of response to the Parliamentary question, for how many police officers has a permission for investigation been requested in the last five years on the grounds that they were involved in a crime? For how many of them has the permission been granted?"

Governor's Office: It was not life-threatening

In a written statement released by the Hakkari Governor's Office on December 3, it was stated, "As a result of a row in traffic, police officer G.K. on leave injured two citizens in the leg with his weapon in a non-life-threatening manner after two of the five persons in the other vehicle used physical violence on him by clasping him by the throat. The legal and administrative investigation into the incident is still ongoing."

'Bullet to right to life has wounded the law'

In a tweet about the incident, HDP MP Sait Dede said that he and HDP provincial and central district co-chairs visited Metin Öztunç and Remiz Duman in hospital and received information about their health.

"Their health conditions will improve, but the deep wound inflicted in the law by this bullet fired to the right to life will not heal until the responsible parties are put on trial," the MP protested in his tweet.

Polis tarafından vurulan Remzi Duman ifadesi alındıktan sonra serbest bırakıldı. Yaralı bir vaziyette hastaneden çıkarılarak ifade işlemi için emniyetle götürülmesi CMK ve AİHM Kararlarına göre yasak ifade ve sorgu yöntemidir. Reform diyordunuz buyrun @abdulhamitgul pic.twitter.com/03WuZDWuKj

— Dr. Sait Dede (@DrSaitDede) December 2, 2020

(DŞ/SD)