Monday, September 6, 2010

Torture on sisters denounced

06 September 2010

Torture in the court house denounced

Policemen tortured this time in courthouse, where two sisters were made to remove their clothes to be searched. When sisters argued against the strip-search, they got beat up for 5,5 hours in a room they were locked in. Despite the bruises on their bodies, sisters were given “clean” report by the doctor they saw. Not only that, policemen filed charges against sisters.

Zero tolerance with torture didn’t succeed again.Torture complaints went on incessantly in Diyarbakır, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a variety of promises.

What two sisters named A.K. and S.K.lived in Diyarbakır courthouse, set an example of this fact. S.K went to courthouse with her sister A.K in concern with a case against herself. When on duty policeman asked them to remove their belts and pass X-Ray machine, sisters wanted to go to a closed area as they didn’t want to do it in full view, near stranger people.  They were, however, met by the disapproval of the police officer, who said; “Are you incorrupt and talking about pudicity  while wearing tight pants and walking around the streets like streetwalkers.”

When the argument grew up, elder sister S.K. said that she would turn to prosecution; which however didn’t discourage policemen from their insistance. A.K. told of the events as follows;

“They took us in and started to beat us. A policewoman and a policeman beat me before asking my identity. I didn’t have my identity with me, I had a copy of it but they said me; “ It is not certain who you are and where you come from.You may even be wanted. We can do you whatever we want and nobody can say anything. One of them told the other to beat us, which he said we would not be able to prove. From 13.00 at daytime, till 18.30 in the evening, they kept and beat us there.”

DOCTOR DIDN’T GIVE REPORT

After 5,5 hours beating, A.K and S.K. were taken to police station, where their detention procedures were done  before they were taken to a doctor for health control. Concerning that the doctor didn’t give them report despite all bruises and scars, A.K. spoke as follows;

“They directed us to their own doctor, whom we saw after a conversation of their own. Then, when I was taken in, the doctor didn’t even look at me straightly . He only asked me what was wrong with me. When I told him that I had difficulty in moving my body as policemen beat and hurt me, he just said me ‘okey,okey’ and told me that I had no problem except from bleariness, which he said he would write down on the report. Then, they brought me back to the police station.”

POLICE FILED A COMPLAINT

The sisters afterwards learned that policemen pressed charges against them for “offense of libel and attery against public offiial”. A.K. said; “After the doctor control, a womanpolice suggested others to take a report from the doctor and file a complaint against us. And they pressed charges against me.”

STILL HAVING BRUISES

Remarking her complaint against policemen,A.K. spoke as follows; “I still have visible bruises on my  body. I went to the courthouse with my sister for her trial. I was beaten, abused and suffered an affront without doing anything. They made fun of us and moreover conducted a case against me. One of them repeatedly said me ‘How will the ignorant Europe help you? You addle-brain are going after a few rapists.’ I was much aggrieved.”

Translation: Berna Ozgencil

ANF / DIYARBAKIR

ANF NEWS AGENCY