Tortured Activist’s Father Says Apology Is Not Enough

People’s Law Bureau announced the report it prepared about Engin Ceber, activist who lost his life to torture, at a press release given at the Orhan Adli Apaydın Salon of the Istanbul Bar.

In addition to People’s Law Bureau lawyers Taylan Tanay and Naciye Demir, Ceber’s father and the two activists who were taken into custody together with Ceber, Aysu Baykal and Cihan Gün, participated in the press release, too.

Pointing to the heedless behavior of the police,  Ceber’s father Ali Ceber said, “An apology is not enough. Those responsible should be punished so that other Engins will not die.”

“We will not stop beating you unless you get up”

Baykal says they cannot be happy about getting out of prison. Baykal was in Bakırköy Women’s Prison.  She says the conditions were similar to that of Ebu Garib in Iraq.

Gün says the police officers were constantly threatening them by saying “we will call them terrorists in front of the people and get them lynched.” However, the same officers did manage to provoke the soldiers by calling the activists terrorists.

“They strip searched us. When we objected to it, we were beaten up by wooden batons. Later we were beaten up with iron batons when we refused to give count, but kept sitting.”

Gün said that at one point their guardians told them “We will not stop beating you unless you get up.”

Planning to go to the Bakırköy Hall of Justice and file an objection after the press release, lawyer Tanay said they were going to submit a petition to remove the secrecy decision about the case and have nineteen people, among them the chief guardian and the directors, arrested. 

The report includes the following demands by People’s Law Bureau: 

- The torturers should be arrested. 

-  The secrecy decision on the case should be removed. 

- Before the statements of the witnesses are taken, their safety should be secured both before and after the investigation. 

- The investigation should be conducted objectively, efficiently and in detail. 

- All the procedures, the statements, the autopsy reports and any kind of information should be presented to the public. (BÇ/TB)