Istanbul Governor Blocks Investigation of Violent Police

Cumhuriyet newspaper reporters Ali Deniz Uslu and Esra Açıkgöz were two of four people attacked by police officers during Labour Day 2008.

They have now applied ot the Istanbul regional administrative court in order to see the prosecution of Istanbul head of riot police Gökhan Özsavaş, whom they hold responsible for this and similar attacks.

Newspaper lawyer Tora Pekin has written a letter of objection to Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler's refusal to have the officer investigated.

Again, police acted with impunity

Pekin said, "If one remembers that not one police officer was prosecuted for police violence on Labour Day 1007, it is clear what the cause of the violence is."

Ulus was chased to the garden of the newspaper office and beaten with a truncheon in front of the door. As a result of the attack, his elbow was broken, and he had to have platin nails inserted with an operation. A CD showing footage of other citizens being beaten while on the ground was also added to the complaint.

Açıkgöz had watched how the police intervened violently with the crowd in Şişli on Labour Day. She was in the street where the entrance of the newspaper office was, when she was attacked by three or four police officers with their truncheons.

Uslu was awarded 5,000 TL (around 2,500 Euros) compensation after taking the Ministry of the Interior to court. Açıkgöz was awarded 1,000 TL in a similar case.

Governor sees no reason for investigation

Despite those trials, Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler decided on 29 May that the police had the right, under Article 6 of the Law on Police Duties and Powers, to use force in cases of attacks or resistance, and that there was no "information, document or evidence" of Özsavaş having acted wrongly. He thus refused an investigation.

The attacks had been condemned by national professional organisations as well as international press freedom organisations.

In his objection, lawyer Pekin says, "The chief for whom permission to investigate him is not being given is the superior of the civil servants who carried out these inhumane attacks and who "cannot" be identified. He is with no doubt responsible for the criminal acts."

Pekin told bianet that if domestic law did not result in a prosecution, they would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. (EÖ/AG)