'Police intervention was a violation: May Day demo was peaceful even if unauthorized'

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish 

Dilan Alp was shot in her head with tear gas shot by the police on May 1, 2013, during the May Day demonstrations in Tarlabaşı, İstanbul, and was heavily injured. The Constitutional Court ruled today (April 11) that Dilan's rights were violated. 87 thousand lira of compensation will be paid to Dilan who had cracks on her skull and tissue damage in her head as a result of the incident. 

The supreme court also commented on the May Day ban in Taksim on that day and stated that the demonstration was "peaceful even if unauthorized." 

Dilan Alp was 17 years old when she was injured while trying to participate in the May Day celebrations in Taksim in 2013. She was going to take the university examination. There were cracks on her skull resulting from the police intervention. She had two operations on her brain and received treatment for long years. 

The ombudsman institution had also concluded on November 5, 2013, that the police intervention on May 1 was unlawful both according to domestic laws and international conventions. 

Supreme Court ruling comes five years later

At the time, the then-İstanbul Governor, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu had also pointed the finger at Dilan naming her "marginal, a member of a terrorist organization." 

Dilan went to court against the Governorship and the court ruled that 10 thousand lira of compensation was to be paid to her.

Dilan was also subjected to an investigation in the incident where she was the victim. But the prosecutor's office concluded at the end that Dilan did not have any crimes committed. 

Dilan’s lawyer  Gülizar Tuncer’s application to the Constitutional Court (AYM), made on November 1, 2018, appealing to the decision by a local court in İstanbul in the case they filed against the Ministry of Interior came to a conclusion five years later today and in their favor. 

“No investigation for the police officers”

AYM ruled that the torture ban was violated in the case of Dilan.

bianet talked to Dilan's lawyer Tuncer who said, "The event identified as a violation of the torture ban, is in fact a violation of the right to life. We know that tear gas has been used as a weapon and resulted in the death and severe injury of many people. Therefore it is clear that the crime committed here is attempted murder." 

"And the most important problem is that there is still no investigation started for the police officers who have committed this crime against Dilan," the lawyer added. (EMK/PE)