Lawyers for Democracy: Latest Incidents of Police Violence Caused by Impunity

Photo: Mezopotamya Agency

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After reported incidents of police violence from various parts of the country, the Lawyers for Democracy group released a statement, calling on the authorities to penalize police officers involved in acts of violence.

Over the past few days, videos posted on social media showed police officers beating citizens in İstanbul (Kadıköy, Sultanbeyli, Eyüpsultan, Zeytinburnu), Tekirdağ (Çorlu), Ankara (Etimesgut), Mardin (Nusaybin), Şırnak (Cizre) and Adana.

Only a few of similar incidents were revealed on social media and the police's violation of rights of people has been increasing during the curfews as part of Covid-19 measures, according to the statement.

"If there is no video recording regarding violence inflicted by the police, the Security Directorate denies the incident, makes statements saying the police or the guards were right and used proportional force.

"If video recordings were released to the public and the act of the police became undefendable, it makes a statement, saying the police officers involved in the incident were dismissed from duty. While doing this, some expressions such as the police intervention was justified, proportional and appropriate are added to these statements as it was done in the cases of Adana, Nusaybin and Çorlu.

"The curfews, lawfulness of which are controversial in terms of constitutionality, are tried to be made ordinary by police violence. Police officers who commit an offense are confident that they will be protected by their colleagues, chiefs, organizations and the ruling power. An ordinary police officer takes courage to attack a parliamentarian not from the law but from the ruling power."

"The practice of impunity, which has been going on all along, causes police violence to continue," the lawyers said, calling on the authorities to give the harshest punishment to the police officers who were violent with people. (HA/VK)