Lawsuit against police officers who inflicted violence on former bianet reporter Kural

* Photo: DİHA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

A lawsuit has been filed against three police officers from the security department who inflicted violence on journalist Beyza Kural, also a former reporter for bianet, during news follow-up in a protest, telling her, "Nothing is the same anymore, we will make you learn it."

Police officers K.A., N.D. and Y.Ş. will now appear before the judge on charge of "violation of right to work and labor" as per the Article 117/1 and 119/1-e of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). The next hearing of the case will be held at the İstanbul 3rd Penal Court of First Instance on June 23.

CLICK - Ruling of right violation for police violence against former bianet reporter Beyza Kural

'It is a precedent for all journalists'

The lawsuit has come shortly after a ruling of right violation given by the Constitutional Court for Beyza Kural.

Speaking to bianet about the top court ruling concerning the police violence against the journalist on the street, lawyer Meriç Eyüboğlu said, "It is important that the court has concluded that this police chief of 'New Turkey' who thinks that he has immunity should be tried."

CLICK - 'This ruling is a precedent for all journalists'

Eyüboğlu noted, "Legally speaking, Constitutional Court rulings are binding and this ruling shall serve as a precedent for all journalists chasing news. But we will see whether it will be the case in practice."

Constitutional Court: Freedom of press violated

Beyza Kural's application to the Constitutional Court via her attorney Oya Meriç Eyüboğlu was finalized on February 18, 2021.

The Constitutional Court has concluded that the prohibition of treatment incompatible with human dignity guaranteed by Article 17 of the Constitution, freedom of expression guaranteed by Article 26 and press freedom guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution have been violated.

The top court has also ruled that a new investigation shall be launched so that the consequences of the related rights violations can be eliminated. Kural will be paid 15,000 lira in non-pecuniary damages.

Police said, 'Nothing is the same anymore'

On November 6, 2015, police tried to detain journalist Beyza Kural, the then bianet reporter, by handcuffing her behind her back while she was covering the protests against the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in Beyazıt, İstanbul. Trying to take the journalist into custody, the police officer shouted, "Nothing is the same anymore, we will make you learn this." With the intervention of other reporters, Beyza Kural was released.

Kural filed criminal complaints about the incident, but they ended in non-prosecution. Her objections were also rejected by courts on the grounds that "the police did not exceed their right to use force."

Police: It was not against her

While the police officers do not accept the charges, defendant police officer Y.Ş. briefly said the following in his defense:

"While I do not fully remember the sentence of 'Nothing is the same anymore, we will make you learn it' that you ask based on the footage in the CD in the file, I think that it was a sentence that was uttered in general on the grounds of the resolute statements by the then top state officials against the terrorist actions and the degrading and accusatory statements against the police and the state made in the banners and remarks of the group at the scene of the incident. It was not against the person."

CLICK - VIDEO - Police: From Now on Nothing will be Like Before, We will Teach it to You

(AS/SD)