HDP says police tortured its member with dogs

Photos. HDP

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has stated that Sevil Rojbin Çetin, a member of its local administration committee, was tortured by the police on Friday (June 26) in her home.

As part of a "terorism-related" investigation against the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), the police had detained 43 people in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır. 

Meral Danış-Beştaş, the HDP's parliamentary group deputy chair, and Ayşe Acar-Başaran, the spokesperson of the HDP Women's Assembly, held a press conference on Saturday regarding the situation of Çetin.

Showing her photos after the alleged torture, they demanded the government explain the issue.

"Normally, the anti-terror police go for detention proceedings. However, the special operations forces accompanied the anti-terror police to Rojbin Çetin's home. This detention was made by surrounding the building with hundreds of security officers," Danış-Beştaş said.

Çetin was alone at home during the detention, she said, adding that the police should have been accompanied by Çetin's neighbors or the neighborhood head according to the laws.

Two police dogs were made to attack Çetin and she was tortured in her apartment for three-and-a-half hours, she noted.

Also, she was hit in the eye, her lip was split open because of the torture, dog bit her both legs, and there were marks of beating on all over her body, the lawmaker said, citing medical reports.

Speaking after Danış-Beştaş, Acar-Başaran recalled that the state also used dogs in torture following the 1980 military coup. Gültan Kışanak, a prominent Kurdish politician who is currently behind bars, was among those who were tortured with dogs at the notorious Diyarbakır Prison at the time, she said.

The police also took photos of Çetin half-naked, Acar-Başaran said: "We ask, what will they do with the photographs, where will they publish them, to which troll will they give them?"

Parliamentary question

The HDP submitted a parliamentary question today (June 29), asking Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu why Çetin was tortured.

Here are some of the questions directed at the minister:

• Why were the house raids and detentions not conducted in accordance with the procedures? Why people were tortured during raids and citizens were intimidated by large teams?
• Why did the detention of Sevil Rojbin Çetin start with the attack of the police dogs?
• Why did the special operation forces and vicious dogs join the operation?
• Was there an order regarding the dogs' attack on Sevil Rojbin Çetin?
• Did your ministry review the report about the torture that Sevil Rojbin Çetin was subjected to?
• Are the security officers who applied torture identified?
• Have any administrative or judicial investigations been initiated against law enforcement officers who applied torture?
• Did the Ministry of the Interior give an order regarding torturing those who were detained? If there is such an order, what is its justification and basis?
• Why did law enforcement officers prevent the lawyer from entering the home?
• What is the purpose of taking photos of Sevil Rojbin Çetin? Is it decided to use these photos as an instrument of threatl? Isn't taking photographs without permission an attack on the personality? Has an investigation been launched against the law enforcement agency who took the photograph?
• What is the explanation for sexual torture against women?
• What is the explanation for opening an investigation against the lawyers who documented the torture?
• Is torture or documenting the torture a crime?
• What measures will you take to end torture? (RT/VK)