POLICE VIOLENCE
Perilous Police Attack for Sitting in a Park
The police seriously injured 21-year-old university student Güney Tuna on 3 October after he drank alcohol in a park in Avcılar (Istanbul) and allegedly refused to leave the park despite the police's order.
In a similar case in November 2007 Feyzullah Ete died after he was kicked in the chest when he was sitting in the same park.
Allegations: beaten in the police car and in the police station
According to Radikal newspaper the allegations developed as follows: Güney Tuna, last grade student in the English Translation Department of Aydın University, sat in the Avcılar Mustafa Burcu Park close to his home. He drank some wine together with his childhood friends when a public security team known as "dolphin" came to control them.
The police officers asked the young people to remove the wine bottles from the park and leave the place. The police returned to the park about 10 minutes later. When they saw that Tuna was still in the park they started to assault him.
Under the force of the punches and kicks Tuna slumped to the ground. He was taken to a vehicle belonging to the Avcılar Head Police Station which had appeared on the scene. Tuna was also beaten in the car and in the police station.
The single child of sales manager Cengiz Tuna and psychology teacher Güney Tuna hovers between life and death in a Neurosurgery Clinic.
The family explained: "First of all Güney did not tell us anything. He was obviously scared. The police said they checked his criminal record and were going to release him. This is what they wrote in the protocol. When we were going home Güney said his feet were aching. We took him to a private hospital. It turned out that his left rotula and his right fibula were broken. By then he started vomiting. We had a tomography taken. It revealed cerebral hemorrhage. We brought him to the Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Education and Research Hospital. The Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation".
Police officer who killed Ete will be out ouf prison within 2 years
In November 2007 26-year-old Feyzullah Ete died as a result of police violence. Eye witnesses had stated that Mutlu had been attacked by police officer Ali Mutlu while he was sitting in the park in Avcılar. He suffered mortal injuries by Mutlu's kicks onto his chest.
On 9 April the Bakırköy 10th High Criminal Court initially handed a 10 years prison sentence to defendant Mutlu under charges of "injuries resulting in death". Mutlu's penalty was changed to 5 years imprisonment because of "unjust provocation" and "good conduct". Including his detention Mutlu will be out of prison within 2 years.
Ete's mother commented: "Whatever he is sentenced to, it will not bring back my son. To ease my pain a little bit that police officer would have to be sentenced to at least 100 years imprisonment. (EÖ/VK)