Police Torture on the Street!
In Istanbul’s Sarıgazi district, 5 policemen tortured Hakan Yaman, a shuttle driver who was heading home after parking vehicle.
Elif Eylem Dedeoğlu, Yaman’s attorney, filed a lawsuit to General Attorney’s Office in Kartal distric, submitting nearby surveillance camera recordings of the incident.
According to Taraf newspaper, the incident took place on June 4 towards 11 pm local time. Police officers initially attacked Yaman with a gas bombs rifle, shooting him in the stomach. Later on, they started beating up the shuttle driver and took off his eye with a sharp object. The aforementioned policemen left Yaman on the sidewalk, throwing him into fire.
After the incident, Yaman was hospitalized in Sancaktepe District Hospital, suffering from broken bones (chin, malar, forehead, nose) and left eyesight loss. He was then transferred to Kartal Education and Research Hospital due to his critical condition - where his treatment is underway.
Prosecutors charged the suspected policemen of “attempted murder with monstrous sentiments and causing organ loss with torture”.
The indictment, which was submitted to General Attorney’s Office in Kartal district, also said the suspected policemen were on-duty officers of TOMA vehicle with a serial number 63319.
Policemen requested for prison
“Yaman was not a Gezi Park protestor,” Dedeoğlu continued. “He was just going home in Sancaktepe. Even if he was a protestor, that doesn’t justify acts of torture.”
“As obvious from images and video, suspects committed this act with monstrous sentiments. Representing my client, I am requesting the arrest of suspected policemen due to the high risk of running away and a drafting of an indictment that will enable an efficient investigation of the incident,” the lawsuit said.
A medical report issued by hospital authorities also confirmed Yaman’s critical situation, citing that he had several face and head damages, broken bones (malar, nose and chin bones), left eyesight loss and partial burns with high degree. (AS/BM)