Footage shows prisoner beaten, forced to undress in southern Turkey

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A prisoner in the southern province of Adana was tortured by wardens, security camera footage released by the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) has shown.

The footage shows the prisoner, Şehmuz Emen, being beaten and forced to take off his clothes by the guards. Also, before putting him in a cell while he has only his boxer briefs on, guards remove the mattress and pour water all over the cell.

What led to torture was Emen asking the guards about the application he had made for a hospital referral, according to the complaint he filed against the guards.

After the complaint, the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched two separate investigations into the incident that happened on February 22.

Accepting the prosecutors' indictment, the Ankara Heavy Penal Court opened a case for "torture" against five guards. The first hearing will be held on September 18.

In the other case, prosecutors indicted two guards for "exceeding the limit regarding the right to use force" and "actual bodily harm." The first hearing of the case will take place on October 13 at the Adana 23rd Penal Court of First Instance.

The investigation started on February 24, after Emen's complaint, the indictment noted.

It includes Emen's statements that the guards had laid him on the ground and forced him out of his cell after an argument. He said he had been battered, forced to undress and put in a wet cell with no bed. The claims have been confirmed by the security camera footage and the expert report.

"They offered us money to drop the case"

Emen's sister Perihan Güngor claimed that the guards had offered them money to give up on the case. "We will not give up on the case. As a family, we are depressed since the moment we watched the footage of the torture. My brother had auditory modality and sight problems. I will stand against them so that they do not hurt others."

Mehmet Nuri Toprak, Emen's attorney, said, "My client was tortured just because he requested to be referred to the hospital and asked about the outcome of his application.

"My client was subjected to systematic torture and two separate lawsuits have been filed against the guards upon the complaint. The situation my client went through is called torture.

"The pressure on my client and his family should end, and the judiciary should make the necessary decision." (RT/VK)