Land Forces Command investigates battery of conscript

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The 1st Army Command of the Turkish Land Forces Command has launched an investigation into the battery of conscript Doğan Çetin.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Çetin appealed to the prosecutor's office and filed a complaint, claiming that he was severely beaten by two soldiers after he said, "I wish we got education in Kurdish."

Regarding this incident that took place while he was doing his mandatory military service in Edirne province, Çetin has written to the Presidency Communication System (CİMER), requesting that the necessary legal action be taken against the responsible parties.

Following this application, the 1st Army Command of the Land Forces Command has replied Çetin, saying, "It is understood that as a result of the inquiry of the related command, a jury has been assigned with carrying out an administrative investigation into the incident and the necessary legal action has been taken against the the negligent and faulty personnel."

He filed a criminal complaint

Doing his mandatory military service in the 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the district of Süloğlu in Turkey's northwestern province of Edirne, 20-year-old Çetin was attacked on August 15.

Physically assaulted with a HK33 infantry rifle, conscript Doğan Çetin received blows to his head and different parts of his body, he got his nasal and frontal bones broken. He also had tears in his forehead and nose, fractures in his ribs and bruises in his legs. He was hospitalized for 3 days after the attack and operated for the broken bones in his face.

After he was discharged from the hospital, Çetin spoke to the Justice Ministry and Chief of Staff officials in Ankara. Then, he went to his hometown in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Mersin and filed a criminal complaint by appealing to the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

In his petition, Çetin has indicated that "when he came across his Kurdish friends on duty in the same brigade and spoke with them in Kurdish, he was attacked by the suspects who witnessed their conversation."

He has also demanded that the suspects stand trial on charges of "attempted homicide, battery, insult, threat, swear, fabricating crimes, discrimination on the basis of language and race."

'They started battering when I fell'

Speaking to the MA, conscript Doğan Çetin has said that before he was attacked, soldiers named Y.K. and U.Y. witnessed him and his Kurdish friends speaking Kurdish. He also stated that he went to the suspects when they called him and the topic of the conversation came to Kurds.

Talking to them, Çetin said, "The one from Urfa is my brother, so are the ones from Van and Şırnak. We are all Kurds, but we cannot understand one another. I wish we got education in Kurdish. If we had got our own education, we could understand each other better." According to Çetin, the look in the eyes of assaulters changed after these remarks.

Following this conversation, Y.K. and U.Y. called Çetin again and they went to a place near the stream bed. Çetin has said that this place was chosen on purpose as it was not within the range of surveillance cameras:

"We had neither a talk nor a row with U.Y. I turned my back and he said, 'You will answer for the martyrs.' The moment I turned around, I was hit by the rifle in my face. I had nine stitches and got my nose broken.

"When I fell on the ground, they started battering me there with the remaining parts of the weapon. I had a fractured rib. I am still having difficulties. As they kicked me, there are no marks, but it is already written in the medical report documenting the battery.

"They apparently talked to each other about it 10-15 minutes before the incident. It was something premeditated, it was done deliberately."

According to Çetin, when he went back to his brigade, a commander named A.A. also insulted him, saying, "You are a terrorist, a treacher. How could they possibly take you in the military?" (AS/SD)