Three Police Officers Sued for Torturing Writer Under Detention

Photo: Muhammed Cihad Ebrari / Twitter

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İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices has filed a lawsuit against three police officers who were determined to have tortured investigative writer Muhammed Cihad Ebrari, the son of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Hüda Kaya.

Ebrari was detained on November 6, 2016, in a protest against the arrest of HDP MPs and suffered fractures in his spinal cord as a result of police violence.

Written three years after the incident, the indictment included reports about the police officers by the Ministry of Interior. The inspector reports stated that defendant police officers H.Ç., İ.Y. and N.S.D. "exceeded the limits of the authority of using force" and "it was not an obligation to remove those attended the demonstration from the demonstration area in this way and it was possible to remove them with not taking any action or more appropriate actions."

After the examination of the inspector reports, footage and minutes, the prosecutor stated that the three police officers committed the offense of "deliberately injuring some in such a way that causes bone fractures by exceeding the limits of the authority of using force."

The prosecutor requested the police officers be trial for "deliberately inflicting pain on another person's body or causing another person's health or perception capability to be impaired."

"A very important case for a legal struggle"

Speaking to bianet on the case, Ebrari said, "Anyone who knows more or less about Turkey's recent years knows that there is no such thing as the supremacy of law and the law of the supreme prevails. In this investigation, coming to the conclusion that the police officers are guilty and filing a lawsuit against him requesting them to be sentenced are developments that no doubt do not comply with the norms of Turkey. Although I personally have no expectations from this trial, we won't let it go, we will make use of it. Unfortunately, we are in the days where not those who are subjected to torture under detention but those who are not subjected to torture should be reported about."

"Although the justice of palace is expected from the palaces of justice, this is a very important case for us and for the struggle for the demand for rights and law. Thanks to the doctors and medical personnel who did not pay attention to threats and documented the torture, we have strong reports, and documents, and that doctor is dismissed from duty now. (RT/VK)