Police Officer Bites Protester's Leg

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Nazan Bozkurt, one of the "Yüksel Street protesters" in the capital Ankara, was bitten by a police officer yesterday (November 11).

Several public officers who were dismissed from their posts upon statutory decrees have been staging demonstrations on Yüksel Street for nearly three years under the slogan of "We want our jobs back."

Bozkurt told bianet that the police attacked them yesterday even before the demonstration began:

"Yesterday was the 1098th day of our protest. The riot police attacked the person who was shooting the video before we started the protest. We said that the reason the police were there was to ensure our security, then he attacked us too. The police intervention took place even before the protest began.

"A woman police officer scratched my arm with her nails, I tried to defend myself. Three or four women police officers were holding me. One of the police officers leaned towards my right leg. At that moment I felt pain. I bent down and looked at the top of my right leg: She was biting the upper part of my right leg.

"I also showed the doctor in custody examination, at the moment when I was bitten, there were teeth marks around a white ring. When I woke up in the morning there was a darker and larger bruise where I was bitten."

Bozkurt was released after giving a statement at the police department.

Bozkurt applied to the Constitutional Court

While Bozkurt filed a complaint against the police officers who attacked her, she also made an individual application to the Constitutional Court against a police officer who previously battered her. The court gave a decision of lack of jurisdiction in the case against the officer.

Bozkurt was dismissed from his post at the Çankaya District Registry Directorate upon a statutory decree issued on January 23, 2017. Attending the "We want our jobs" protests, she was detained on June 8, 2018.

Police officers battered her during detention and broke her cheekbone. A report by Gazi University Department of Medicine documented that her cheekbone was broken because of the officer's punch.

Bozkurt filed a criminal complaint against the police at the prosecutor's office.

Based on the expert report that stated, "Bozkurt resisted not to be taken into custody and made difficulties for the police officers," the Prosecutor's Office for Public Officers' Crimes decided not to sue the police officer.

The decision of non-jurisdiction said that the police used "proportional force against Bozkurt.

Police officer was offered protection against Bozkurt

After her objection to this decision was rejected by the Ankara 2nd Penal Court of Peace, she applied to the Constitutional Court yesterday (November 11). Applying against the non-jurisdiction order, she said that she also complained the prosecutor to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors.

"I learned that the police officer whom I filed a complaint against for breaking my cheekbone was offered protection against me by the Security Directorate," Bozkurt said.

Police says, 'illegal', court cancels fines

Bozkurt said that the police intervene in their protests on the grounds that they are "illegal", while the fines imposed against them upon the Law on Misdemeanor were canceled by the courts because of being "unlawful."

"In the notification I received today, I saw that my appeal against the fine imposed on the day of the protest was accepted. Ankara 5th Penal Court for Peace decided to cancel the fine. Almost all of the fines have been abolished. Police say the protest is illegal the courts cancel the penalties as we appeal." (AS/VK)