Kurdish man tortured over border protest released after first hearing
A university student who was detained and tortured in January during a protest in the southeastern city of Mardin was released after his first hearing yesterday.
The student, identified with the initials D.K., was involved in the protest against the Syrian interim government forces' attacks on the then-Kurdish-controlled parts of the country.
He was initially described in the media as the person who lowered the Turkish flag in the border area but faced no charges in the court proceedings.
D.K. attended the hearing at the Mardin 2nd Heavy Penal Court via video link from Sincan Prison in Ankara, while his lawyer Rıdvan Kurt was present in the courtroom.
During the hearing, D.K. rejected the charges and described the torture he underwent. Stating that he filed a complaint against those who tortured him, D.K. requested his release.
His lawyer Kurt also requested his release, stating that the legal elements of the alleged crimes had not been established.
Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled for the release of D.K. under judicial control measures, including a ban on traveling abroad and an obligation to sign in at a police station.
The next hearing will be held on Sep 29.
'No questions asked about the flag'
Speaking to bianet by phone, Kurt said, "His health condition is better now compared to the first day. He attended the hearing via video link from the prison in Ankara."
Reminding that an indictment was prepared against D.K. on three charges, Kurt added, "Membership in an armed terrorist organization, making propaganda for an organization, and entering a military forbidden zone. As a result of the trial held today, his release was decided with judicial control measures in the form of a ban on traveling abroad and signing in.
"No questions were directed to him regarding the flag, neither in the indictment, nor during the investigation or prosecution phases. There is no evidence or camera footage regarding the flag either. Such a situation is out of the question for my client. He already rejected this matter in a precise language. No questions were asked to him on this issue either."
What happened?
During the protests along the Nusaybin-Kamışlı line on Jan 20, the Turkish flag in the former customs area was lowered by demonstrators on the Syrian side.
Footage of university student D.K., who was detained on the Turkish side of the border and subjected to torture, was shared on social media with the claim that he was the person who lowered the flag.
The torture inflicted on D.K. was recorded in the minutes by law enforcement as "fell from the tower."
The report stated:
"The minutes were recorded on Jan 20, 2026, at 6.15 pm. Young people who entered the Faruk Gezen Border Post military forbidden zone without permission shouted slogans, during which the young people below threw stones at the tower, which hit him, and he fell from the tower."
"However, D.K. was not asked any questions in court about lowering or raising the flag, and he was arrested on Jan 23 on allegations of "being an organization member," "making organization propaganda," and "violating border security."
Transferred to Diyarbakır after being held for one day in Mardin Prison, D.K. was taken into intensive care at Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital due to the risk of brain hemorrhage.
(VC/VK)
Managing Editor at bianet since April 2023. He worked full-time at sendika.org and T24, and as a freelance journalist for taz.gazete, Stern, and Inside Turkey between 2013 and 2023. He graduated from the Department of History at Istanbul University and completed his master’s degree in the Department of History at Kocaeli University with a thesis titled “The 1957 Turkey–Syria Crisis and Orientalist Discourse in the Turkish Press.”
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