Report Shows Covid-19 Has Become a New Reason for Police Violence in Turkey

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) have released a report on rights violations in the first five months of 2020.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, public health was considered a security problem and as a result, many citizens were subjected to maltreatment and torture from law enforcement officers, the report noted.

Hate speech, hate attacks and violence in general increased during this period, the report said: "One of the main reasons that violence is increasingly respected in society is the approach of the ruling power that glorifies or praises the policies of conflict and war."

The two groups also called on the government to stop the violence of law enforcement officers and fight impunity.

Here are the figures on the violence of law enforcement officers between January 1 and June 1 according to the TİHV Documentation Center:

• Two people died after law enforcement officers opened fire in two separate cases.
• In at least 48 cases (Seven in detention centers, eight in house raids, 33 in open areas) 189 people were subjected to physical violence, torture or maltreatment from the police/gendarmerie/night guards/municipal police. Among them, 35 were injured. One person was injured with firearms.
• Seventeen of the 48 cases occurred on the ground that citizens did not follow Covid-19 measures. In these incidents, 29 people were subjected to physical violence, torture or maltreatment from law enforcement officers.
• Law enforcement officers intervened in 363 peaceful demonstrations and events such as commemorations, press briefings, celebrations, protests by using violence. As a result, 754 people were detained and 16 were injured.
• Nine of these demonstrations and events were related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Forty-two people were detained in these incidents.
• For five times, law enforcement officers intervened in activities within the scope of freedom of association and detained five people. All these interventions were made on the ground of the Covid-19 outbreak.
• Thus, the total number of activities that police forces intervened violently reached 368 and the number of people detained in these incidents reached 759.

According to the İHD figures, 196 people were subjected to physical violence, torture and maltreatment from law enforcement officers between March 1 and May 30. Among these incidents, 126 happened in detention centers.

The TİHV and the İHD underlined that these figures are based on limited information and data they were able to access. (AS/VK)