Photos Reveal Torture on Advocate Kozağaçlı

Photographs have been submitted to the case file, revealing the torture on Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Contemporary Lawyers Association Chairman Selçuk Kozağaçlı, when he refused to give blood and saliva samples during police detention on January 20. 

“Selçuk Kozağaçlı has been transferred to police station jail and ordered to submit fingerprint for procedures. ‘Court order is unlawful and I won’t submit fingerprints. I will resist’, he said. He showed resistance to law enforcement authorities. He attempted to give blood samples by squeezing his arms. Following that, law enforcement gradually used force to draw blood samples. He also did the same during fingerprint submission,” police logs said. 

Kozağaçlı returned to Turkey despite capture order 

On January 21, Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) members Selçuk Kozağaçlı, Taylan Tanay, Barkın Timtik,  Ebru Timtik, Şükriye Erden, Naciye Demir, Günay Dağ and Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı were arrested for being a DHKP-C “illegal” organization member.

Selçuk Kozağaçlı, who had been in Beirut at the time of police raid, has been detained right after the plane he took from Beirut landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. 

Later on, he was transferred to a hospital in Haseki district where he was allegedly forced to give blood and saliva samples even though he insisted that it was illegal and not consented from court authorities.  

Kozağaçlı had been arrested for “high suspicion” of running away along with 8 other lawyers. 

Torture complaint on doctors 

Complaints have been submitted to prosecutors and Istanbul Chamber of Medicine. ÇHD Istanbul Branch Chair Taylan Tanay made a similar complaint on both prosecutors and Istanbul Chamber of Medicine.

“Police have climbed on top of me. They forced me to turn my head back and opened my mouth. A doctor took a saliva sample,” Tanay said.

“A forced medical intervention, unless the patient is in special situation such as coma, mental disability or minor age, is controversial and it is not convenient at all. A doctor can’t do anything against a patient’s will,” Osman Öztürk, Turkish Doctors Union Central Board Member, told bianet. (AS/BM)