Mehmet Tursun’s son Baran Tursun was shot dead by Izmir police when driving with two of his friends in the night of 24 November 2007. The police has claimed that he had driven through a police barricade and ignored a command to stop.

The police officer on trial, Oral Emre Atar, was released pending trial at the first hearing of the trial on 14 January. He has claimed that he fell and that a shot was released from the gun because of the fall. However, one bullet hit Tursun in the neck, and three other bullets were found in the car.

Police intimidation at first hearing 

The first hearing of the trial was also attended by Lütfü Demirkapi, president of the Izmir branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD). He said, "There was a high level of security at the court, to the extent that people were made uncomfortable. When the high level chiefs of the Izmir Police Department came, the court was crammed full with police. They want to threaten. I could not bear it and left the hearing."

The second hearing is at the Karsiyaka 1st Heavy Penal Court on 11 February 2008. In a letter of invitation, Tursun said that the police was protected by “a shield of impunity”. He called on others to perforate this shield so that other events where the right to life is violated be punished. Tursun demanded for clarity on how his son was killed, as well as prosecution of those responsible, “just like other citizens.”

Tursun called the trial a “possible breaking point” and asked for public and media support at the hearings.

Evidence tampered with

Tursun made the following points:

• The X-ray in hospital showed a bullet in his son’s head, but there were efforts to obscure evidence.
• Although the site should have been examined by special scene of crime teams, it was examined by the station police.
• The six cartridge cases said to have been found at the site were collected by the police officer(s) involved in the shooting.
• Video recordings of a near-by petrol station were manipulated and then sent to the prosecution.
• Only the shift colleagues of the shooting officer were questioned as witnesses.
• The prosecution has ignored the demands of lawyers for the Tursun family to collect certain evidence.
• As a result of the investigation, the police officer has been charged with the deliberate killing of a person. However, the prosecution has wanted to cite grievous provocation.

Father Tursun stated that the police was using the Law on Police Duties and Powers as a guarantee for impunity, and that the whole police force was mobilized in order to prevent the punishment of any one officer. (NZ/TK/AG)