Detention of Gülten Matur: 'Top terrorist' allegation doesn't exist in investigation file

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Gülten Matur was arrested on Tuesday (November 29) on charge of "establishing and managing an illegal organization." She filed a complaint on the same day alleging she was taken into custody informally and kept for 8 days before the official detention date, and heavily tortured at an unknown location in İstanbul.

Matur is caught as "top executive for Türkiye," according to newspapers close to the government, but her lawyer says this claim does not exist in the investigation file.

Matur, 51, lives with her mother and works as a house cleaner. She was arrested by the İstanbul 3rd Penal Judgeship of Peace on Tuesday (November 29) on charges of "establishing and managing an organization."

In her statement at the courthouse, she said that she was taken into custody unofficially 8 days ago and that she was subjected to severe torture until the day she was brought to the İstanbul provincial directorate of security.

Matur said in her statement, "I was taken into custody on November 20, my situation was not normal for 8 days. The security directorate presented as if I was taken into custody yesterday (November 28). I have traces of torture on my arms, I was tortured. The police officers told me 'if you don't do what we tell you, we will do what we want.' If you ask me why they left me, they also know that there is not anything serious."

Lawyer Seda Şaraldı told bianet that she also witnessed some traces of torture. Şaraldı said, "She was taken into custody on November 20 and told that she was tortured by batons, electricity, and brutal beatings. Her body has signs of severe torture. She was kept in a padded cell. She said that the place where she was held was in İstanbul, but she did not know where it was because her face and eyes were covered. And those who tortured her were wearing ski masks."

"These are repeating allegations"

Matur also said at the courthouse that there is already another lawsuit where she is standing trial with the same allegations and that in that case she was released on conditions of trial without arrest.

"We have also said at the prosecutor's office, the same allegations exist in the files in my other case. I am already standing trial for the same allegations at the [İstanbul] 35th Heavy Penal Court. I have another ongoing case in Ankara. These are repeating allegations, there is no reason for arrest."

"It is not in the file"

Matur's Lawyer Seda Şaraldı argued that the police had "forged documents" showing the date of detention as November 28, while Matur was taken into custody on November 20.

Şaraldı said, "Matur was tortured, there are lesions showing the torture in many parts of her body. Anadolu Agency learned that she was taken into custody before we did. They used her photos in news reports. Thus both this interrogation and this bringing into court are not carried out legally. We believe that there is an intervention in this investigation. The right of my client to the presumption of innocence is being violated. She has been presented as the top executive in prime time news last night, but no such thing exists in the investigation file."

"Witness who does not have a child is asking 'How is my child?'"

Lawyer Şaraldı also said that the same allegations, which exist in the file in the law case in which Matur is standing trial at the İstanbul no. 35 Heavy Penal Court, are again present in this file. Şaraldı also reflected on the deep concerns in relation to witness O.K. in this former trial.

"In a trial at the İstanbul no. 26 Heavy Penal Court, witness O.K. wanted to benefit from effective remorse in the hearing where imprisonment was requested by the prosecution. Again in the same hearing, the defense lawyer stated that O.K. had mental health problems.

"The prison administration also recognizes that O.K. had mental health problems and they want to take O.K. to the hospital but without success.

"What shows that O.K. has mental health problems is that while being single and without a child, O.K. believes to have a child and always asks family members how the child is. The court decides to send O.K. to the hospital and this should also be included in the investigation file."

"Prosecution demanded her acquittal"

Another lawyer, Çiğdem Akbulut, intervened during the interrogation by the prosecutor.

Akbulut said there, "This file has nothing but repeating allegations in it. Matur is standing trial for being the executive of an organization in one court and for being a member in another. The reports about her in the papers are similar. They say that she was nabbed as 'the top executive for Türkiye' but why has such a person been released in the trial she is already standing?

"This file should have been merged with the two other files. The prosecution had demanded acquittal in the case at İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court where she is standing trial for being the 'executive of an organization.'

"She is not in prison since 2019 but is written in the file that she is a fugitive without making any investigation..."

Matur arrested again

The İstanbul 3rd Penal Judgeship of Peace decided that Matur should be arrested.

Gülten Matur's arrest was reported in news outlets using expressions such as "Gülten Matur, the so-called top executive of Türkiye of the terrorist organization DHKP/C napped in İstanbul with the operation of the National Intelligence Agency Presidency and the police was arrested."

The same headings were used in the newspaper reports when she was arrested in 2019 but Gülten Matur was released in 2019. (AS/PE/VK)