Suicide after Alleged Ill-Treatment in Police Custody

The trial regarding the police custody of deceased architect Onur Yaser Can started on 15 July before the Istanbul 6^th High Criminal Court. Can, graduate of the renowned Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), was taken into custody under allegations of "possessing narcotic drugs". He was then summoned to the police three times to give his statement and did so after the first two calls. The police officers stand trial because they allegedly changed Can's statement. The trial was postponed to 22 November.

When he was summoned to the police for the third time, the architect jumped out of the window and committed suicide. At the first hearing of the case, Can's farewell letter was submitted to court. He stated in his letter that his previous statement given at the police had been altered and described the ill-treatment he experienced.

Police officers Sonay Gündoğdu and Salih Bahar stand accused of "counterfeiting documents" because they allegedly changed Can's initial statement. An expert study revealed that the record had indeed been altered.

Can's family had filed a criminal complaint about the police officers of the Vatan Rd. Narcotics Branch (Istanbul) by reasons of "torture, ill-treatment, sexual abuse and misconduct in office". However, the prosecutor decided to drop procedures. Thereupon, the family filed another complaint under the same allegations with the Beyoğlu (Istanbul) High Criminal Court.

Lawyer Ercan Kanar told bianet that the prosecutor of the case has been exchanged for three times already. Kanar criticized that the last prosecutor "decided to dismiss the charges without taking the statements of the witnesses into account".

"Psyche was severely harmed"

Can was taken into police custody on 2 June 2010 because he had supposedly bought marijuana. He was eventually released after he had given his statement. Two days later, he was called to the Narcotics Branch again because of "missing information in the documents". That time, he went to the police, signed the documents he was given and left again.

Can claimed that he was exposed to ill-treatment in police custody and that he had to fully undress when he was searched before he gave his statement. He told his friends that his "psyche had been destroyed". Can committed suicide on 23 June when he got to know that he was summoned to the police for the third time.

The family complained about the police officers and also about the doctors who in their opinion intervened too late after Can had committed suicide. Can's mother Hatice Can said in an interview with bianet that her son was forced to sign an altered statement without reading it.

Police officers reject allegations

The police officers stated at the first hearing that Can did not accept either of the records of his statement and hence they were not given to him. Therefore, the police officers continued, they did not take footage or voice records of the statement. They admitted that they only changed the date and time of the statement and claimed that they did not make any changes to the content.

"I signed without reading"

The letter Can wrote before his suicide was presented to court. Can described that he had to fully undress at the police and that he was made to kneel down that harshly that it made him cough.

The letter continues, "The prosecutor was called. I was released. I was called again the other day. I went on my own. They put some papers in front of me. I signed once more the document of my release, the record and the statement. I was stressed. The atmosphere was gloomy. I was hurried. I was afraid. I signed the documents without being able to fully read them". (AS/VK)