Police Violence in Van
* Photograph: ETHA
Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish
The police violence against the people who took shelter in a cafe during the protests against trustees in Van has caused public outrage.
Since the Ministry of Interior announced that the Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin have been removed from office on August 19, people have been staging protests against the appointment of trustees.
The protesters in Van were met with harsh police violence yesterday (August 21). Police officers battered the ones who took shelter in a coffeehouse. As the video footage of the police violence has been widely shared on social media, it has caused public outrage, including politicians.
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) İstanbul MP Mustafa Yeneroğlu has also denounced the police violence on social media. Sharing the video on his Twitter account, Yeneroğlu has said,
"These images in Van are horrible! This atrocity, which also brings our security forces who do their duty within the frame of law, under suspicion cannot be accepted! The necessary will definitely be done to dismiss the ones who see our citizens worthy of this cruelty and to put them on trial."
Van'daki bu görüntüler korkunç! Hukuk içinde görevini yapan emniyet güçlerimizi de zan altında bırakan bu vahşet kabul edilemez! Vatandaşlarımıza bu zalimliği reva gören kişilerin bir an evvel görevden alınması ve yargılanması için gereken mutlaka yapılacaktır. pic.twitter.com/WGYJ63bajj
— Mustafa Yeneroğlu (@myeneroglu) August 21, 2019
Governorship: The person has schizophrenia
The Governorship of Van has also released a statement about the video circulating on social media. The Governorship has referred to the protesters as "the groups who staged illegal protests" and indicated that "a person attacked the police officers with an iron stool."
"As a result of the attack, one police officer of ours got injured on his face, neck and arm. The person who launched the attack was forcefully caught after a chase", the Governorship has stated further and added,
"It has been understood that the person joined the PKK terrorist organization in the rural in 2013, submitted himself to the security forces in Diyarbakır in 2014, has several criminal records and has a psychological disorder (of schizophrenia)." The Governorship has also informed that the necessary inspections and investigations have been launched into the incident.
Van Bar: We will file a criminal complaint
The Van Bar Association has denounced the police violence on its social media account. Indicating that they will be "a close follower of the disproportionate force and battery amounting to torture", the Association has announced that they will file a criminal complaint "against the detention of the person by making an attempt on his life." (HA/SD)