In the torture case of dead Engin Ceber and his friends Cihan Gün, Özgür Karakaya and Aysu Baykal, who were taken into custody with him and released later, the prosecutor of Bakırköy (Istanbul) released the 35 police officers after their statements were taken, not forwarding them to the court.

Taylan Tanay, lawyer of Ceber’s family, told bianet that among those released police officers were at least fifteen police officers identified by Gün, Karakaya and Baykal, and those whose signatures were on the official papers produced during the custody process.

Tanay also reminded that those police officers for whom the torture allegations were repeated three times should have been arrested.

“We are not allowed to be present when the suspects are giving their statements”

Tanay says that although they could be  present at the proceedings concerning the investigation, the prosecutor did not  allow them to be present when the statements of the suspects in the prison were taken. Moreover, they could not see the official reports, since the investigation was declared secret.

“There are no legal decrees that prevent our presence during the proceedings. They could permit us. This is a matter of great concern.”

“They took the statements of the other guardians in the prison”

Tanay could also not understand why the statements of the guardians other than the six of them who were arrested on November 3 were taken at the Metris Prison. He thinks that they should have been taken at the Justice Hall.

Ceber was taken into custody with three of his friends at Istinye Station on September 28 for protesting that the police officer who shot and paralyzed Ferhat Gerçek was still not arrested. He was later arrested for “resisting police,” put into Metris Prison and died in the Şişli Etfal Hopital he was taken to after he went to coma on October 10. His friends Cihan Gün and Özgür Karakaya, with whom he was taken into custody, had told Bakırköy prosecutor Cevdet Doğan in detail that they were tortured both in the police centers and Metris Prison. (TK/TB)