Teachers Protesting Discharges File Complaint Against Police for Torture

Teachers Tanrıverdi and Polat have been staging protests for more than one year, during which they were detained and released more than 30 times.

Ayça Söylemez

Teachers Protesting Discharges File Complaint Against Police for Torture

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Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who were arrested and released four times before on the charge of "organizing illegal protest demonstrations," and detained more than 30 times during the protests they staged in Bakırköy, İstanbul, have filed a criminal complaint against police officers on the charge of torture.

In the petition of complaint they submitted to the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, they demanded the public officials at the Bakırköy Kartaltepe Police Center Security Bureau Directorate be investigated on the charge of torture upon Article 94 of the Turkish Penal Code.

The teachers have been staging the protests for more than one year on the Bakırköy Square, showing a banner that reads, "We want our jobs back." They were detained and released after testimony for the last time on Wednesday (May 8).

Ten police officers intervened in one teacher"

The petition said that despite numerous verdicts that said the demonstrations does not constitute an offense, the two teachers were tortured during detention.

"Tanrıverdi and Polat went to Bakırköy Freedom Square on February 25 and April 1, 2019, to read a press statement and stage a half-an-hour sit-in protest.

"But the police officers stated that they will not allow the demonstration. Then they began detaining the teachers.

"This intervention constituted the beginning point of the acts of torture rather than a legal procedure of detention/seizure. Ten police officers intervened against each teacher. They were put into the police car while they were being tortured with punches and kicks."

"People shot videos of the incident"

The petition also said that the people who were around the area shoot videos of the incident.

"Three female riot control policewomen lifted Nursel Tanrıverdi while holding her from her throat.

"People around intervened in verbally, they shot videos of the incident with their phones."

Medical reports that show Tanrıverdi and Polat were tortured and reports from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) were also presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The teachers also demanded the recordings of the surveillance cameras and the cameras on the police cars be added to the case file.

What happened?

Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who were discharged by a Statutory Decree, have been staging protests with the slogan "We want our job" at the Bakırköy Square in İstanbul on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday since January 20, 2017. Since the day when they started their protests, they have been taken into custody for many times.

In the 74th week of their protests, the teachers were detained again. Though they were released on probation after being taken into custody, in the verdict of the court, there was a sentence, stating that Tanrıverdi and Polat were banned from approaching the square more than 200 meters.

The teachers stated that they would not recognize the ban and attempted to make a statement for the press at the Bakırköy Square on August 13, 2018. During the statement, the teachers were taken into custody again and an international travel ban was imposed on them.

After Tanrıverdi and Polat tried to make another statement for the press, they were arrested on August 21, 2018. Teachers were released on September 6 after being arrested for almost two weeks. The ban of not approaching the square more than 200 meters was also lifted by the court.

While the teachers were acquitted of the charge brought against them due to their protests on February 14, the Bakırköy 2nd Penal Judgeship of Peace has previously imposed a ban of not approaching Bakırköy Square more than 100 meters on February 5, 2019.

Having been arrested and released for four times since they started their protest, the teachers have been acquitted by all six different courts where they were tried on the same charge.

(AS/VK)

teacher demonstration

Ayça Söylemez

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Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Felsefe Bölümü mezunu. Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi Sosyoloji bölümünde yüksek lisans yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Bilimleri’nde doktora yapıyor. Vatan, Akşam, HaberTürk ve Hürriyet gazetelerinin yazıişleri ve dış haberler bölümünde çalıştı. Güncel Hukuk dergisinde yazıları yayınlandı. BirGün’de Anonim adlı köşeyi yazıyor. 2011’den bu yana bianet’te İnsan Hakları Editörü.