522 Unsolved Murders in Four Years

In a speech to mark the 166^th anniversary of the Police on 10 April, the Turkish President, Abdullah Gül, said, "With the successful work done by our Police, unsolved murders are not an issue. Nobody who commits a crime gets away with it any more".

Yet, the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) registered nine cases of unsolved murders in their annual Turkish Human Rights Report 2010.

During the celebration at the Kayseri Police Directorate President Gül said, "The police became an organization that has been following the world as an example and with appreciation. It became an institution that solves the most difficult murders, finds the culprits and brings them to justice. Nobody who commits a crime gets away with it any more. Unsolved murders are not an issue. Even if one or two years pass in the meantime, the criminals are found and brought to justice".

28 people died because the "ignored the stop warning"

According to the data compiled by TİHV, a total of 118 unsolved murders were committed in Turkey in the past eight years; i.e. eight in 2002, 16 in 2003, eight in 2004, four in 2005, 21 in 2007, 30 in 2008, 18 in 2009 and nine in 2010.

Including cases of deaths in police custody and prisons, the report registered a total of 522 incidents of unsolved murders between 2006 and 2010.

According to TİHV report 2010, 32 people died in prison until 1 December 2010. 28 people were lethally shot by police forces. Land mines killed six people.

Two people lost their lives in meetings and demonstrations in 2010, 143 were wounded. (AS/EÖ/VK)