Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
5 April 2022 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/051) Police Died in Muğla…
It is learned that a police officer (Ö. K.) died as a result of the accidental fire of the police officer Aytaç Babayiğit’s gun, who was on duty at the Ortaca District Police Department Police Station, in Muğla on April 4, 2022.
(04/052) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Van…
It is learned from the news coverage of April 4, 2022 that, a person named Yakup Avan was detained with torture and ill-treatment in front of his house in Axruk (Yukarı Turgalı) neighbourhood of Özalp district of Vanfor alleged smuggling, on April 2, 2022 by the gendarmerie. It is reported that the horse belonging to Yakup Avan was also shot dead by the gendarmerie with a firearm.
(04/053) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment Under Custody in Batman…
On March 31, 2022, 15 people who were detained in house raids in Timok village of Kozluk district in Batman, were subjected to torture and ill-treatment. One of them, Yahya Karabaş, stated the following to the press on April 4, 2022: “At around 05:00 in the morning, the headman knocked on my door. He said the soldiers had called. After walking about 400 meters with a soldier, we came to the military vehicles standing at the back of the village. Military personnel in plain clothes, getting out of the vehicles, started attacking me without asking anything. Before I knew what was going on, a person whose face I could not see from behind put a sack on my head. They put me in the vehicle and took me away. I don’t know where they’re taking me. They drove for about 2 hours. I was constantly insulted by the people in the vehicle I was in. (…) After I got out of the vehicle, they dipped my head in water and took it out. They dipped it in the mud and took it out. They were constantly asking me if there were guerrillas in the vicinity and where they were. When I said I don’t know, they continued their torture. I heard the sound of putting a gun to my head and pushing the bullet into the barrel. ‘We will kill you here. They said, ‘No one would know,’ and continued to torturing at that time. It took about 2-3 hours. (…) While all this was going on, they never took the sack off my head. Again, after driving for about 2 hours, they brought me back to the place where they put a sack on my head. Insults, verbal and physical attacks continued on the way. They were constantly threatening me to death. When they brought me back to the place where they put me in the vehicle, they took the sack off my head. I was covered in mud and blood all over. For about an hour, I was left with wet clothes in the cold weather. The station commander and the headman were also present in the area where I was kept waiting. Then they brought me to the house where I live. I was not allowed in. The plain-clothed staff next to me twisted my arm and said, ‘I will break your arm if you do not give us information’. I was kept waiting in front of the house for about two hours. In the meantime, the practice of torture against me continued. I was taken to the police station in an armoured vehicle. After midnight, they put me in a pickup-style vehicle and brought me to Batman Training and Research Hospital. While I was on the road, one of the civilian personnel asked me to say that I had the eye due to a medication that I was using (…) After the hospital, they took me to Batman Provincial Gendarmerie Command. While my fingerprints were being taken at the police station, the plain-clothed staff next to me said to me, ‘I was the one who tortured you. If I wanted to, I would have killed you there. I took you there to kill you. But I did not kill. I will bring you to justice,” he said. (…) I explained in detail everything that happened to me. The doctor said that he had prepared a report evidencing the violence before. Later, one of the plain-clothes staff walked in and talked to the doctor for about an hour. Afterwards, a new report was received from another doctor instead of the prepared report. I was released on the condition of judicial control after the statement made on Sunday evening. I told the prosecutor about the torture against me. The prosecutor told me, ‘It will take a long time if I consider your criminal complaint. It would be better for you to go tomorrow morning and get a report evidencing the violence from the hospital and file a new criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office’. (…) When I told the doctor about the incident at Batman İluh State Hospital, the doctor called the police. When they realized the incident after the police arrived, they said, “We cannot give you the report,” and did their best not to report it. The police there said, ‘We will take the report, but we will not give it to you, we will keep it’. When I asked the doctor for the report, he did not give it. He said he would give the report to the police officer. We were kept in the hospital for about an hour and a half. The hospital police had a private conversation with the doctor several times. The hospital police and the doctor were constantly struggling. Finally, when we contacted our lawyers, they gave us a simple assault report and sent us from the hospital. We were not examined”.
(04/054) Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of April 4, 2022 that, some prisoners in Balıkesir Bandırma T Type Prison were not allowed to use their right to video call.
(04/055) Police Intervention to a Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened the press declarations of Şişli Municipality workers in front of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) on April 4, 2022 and forced people away from the building by using physical violence.
(04/056) Police Interception of Commemoration in Ankara…
Police Prevention to a Commemoration in Ankara…
The police prevented the press declaration to be held on April 4, 2022, by Hacettepe University students and health professional organisations, to commemorate Hasan Can Çoban, the student who lost his life due to negligence after having a heart attack in Sıhhiye Central Dormitory of Hacettepe University on April 2, 2022. It is learned that the press declaration was held despite of prevention.
(04/057) Detained People in Batman…
One of the 15 people (Saddullah Karabaş), who was detained in the house raids in the village of Timok (Gümüşörgü) in the Kozluk district of Batman on March 31, 2022, was arrested by the court on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ on April 3, 2022, while 4 people are released on judicial control conditions. 10 people were released after statement procedures.
(04/058) Detained People in Hakkari…
6 people, including a 3-year-old child (Zana İhtiyatoğlu, Nur Varlıkoğlu, Halil İhtiyatoğlu, Şilan Dayan, Havva Sevi and a 3-year-old child), who were detained during the house raids in central and Çukurca districts of Hakkari on April 4, 2022, were released after statement procedures.
(04/059) HDP Members and Executives Detained in Erzurum…
3 members and executives of HDP (Hınıs district co-chair, Sadrettin Özkul, Perihan Özer and Tekman district executive Polat Özkurt) are detained in house raids in Erzurum on April 4, 2022. The reason of detention is unknown.
(04/060) Detentions Due to Newroz Celebrations…
16 people are detained in house raids in Izmir on April 4, 2022, on the grounds of participating in the Newroz celebration in the city on March 20, 2022. Detained people are released on the same day after statement procedures. The names of detained people learned so far are: Melise Özer, Berivan Sevgi, Hanife Çaçan, Kudret Yaman, Melike Özen, İbrahim Özek, Özgür Önkol, Ömer Durmaz, Ramazan Dönmez, Bayram Köseoğlu, Fırat Artan, Çınar Erkek.
30 people were detained in house raids in the Bodrum district of Muğla on 5 April 2022, on the grounds that they participated in the Newroz celebration on March 20, 2022. The names of those detained could not be learned.
(04/061) Investigation Against Journalists and Writers…
It is learned that the indictment of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Agos newspaper’s writer and Armenian pages’ editor Pakrat Estukyan, Cihan Doğan, lawyer Emran Emekçi, Mehmet Nimet Sevim and Demokratik Modernite magazine editor in chief Ramazan Yurttapan, on the grounds of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ in the articles published in the 36th issue of the magazine dated July-August-September 2021, is accepted by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 27. The first trial of the case will be held on June 14, 2022.
(04/062) Dargeçit JİTEM Case…
The case against 18 people, for forced disappearance of 8 people including 3 children who were detained in Dargeçit district of Mardin between October 29, 2015 and March 8, 1996; and of special sergeant Bilal Batır, who was alleged to inform families of those disappeared forcefully, is held on Adıyaman Heavy Penal Court No 1 on the charge of ‘intentional killing’ on April 4, 2022.
The court rejected to arrest the defendants and decided to continue the ban on leaving the country, and adjourned the trial to July 4, 2022.
(04/063) Hande Buse Şeker Case…
Police officer Volkan Hicret has been sentenced to life imprisonment and 20 years by Izmir Heavy Penal Court No 4, on the grounds of sexually assaulting and killing trans woman Hande Buse Şeker in Izmir on January 9, 2019. As the local court’s verdict was reversed by Izmir Regional Court, the retrial of the case is held on April 4, 2022.
The court adjourned the trial to September 19, 2022.
(04/064) Covid-19 Pandemic…
The Ministry of Health declared that 40 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and the daily number of Covid-19 cases is 12,647 as of April 4, 2022.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 98,197 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 14,907,387 as of April 4, 2022.
It is learned that doctor Murat Unay in Izmir lost his life due to Covid-19 on April 4, 2022.
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[5] Daily Human Rights Reports are prepared on the information gathered by the Documentation Center from its own network and the following dailies and internet portals: Vatan, Milliyet, Hürriyet, Habertürk, Evrensel, Birgün, Cumhuriyet, Fırat Haber Ajansı, Jinnews, ETHA, Mezopotamya Ajansı, Yurt, Yeni Yaşam, NTV, Yeni Asya, Bianet, Halkinsesi.tv, Cnnturk, Tr724, İleri Haber, Siyasi Haber, Alınteri, Kızılbayrak, Sendika.org, Yüksekova Haber, T24, Diken, Gazete Karınca, Gazete Duvar. Haber Sol, El Cezire, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, AFP.