Police officers accused of torturing child indicted for 'deprivation of liberty'

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An indictment has been prepared for the investigation into a 14-year-old child who was beaten and threatened in an armored vehicle by the police in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır.

The investigation against Lice Police Chief A.O. and police officers H.Ç., İ.A., E.Ö., and G.B. was conducted on charges of "injuring deliberately with a firearm and misusing the influence held by a public official," Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.

However, the indictment was prepared on the charge of "restriction of liberty" and was accepted by the court.

The child's statements, in which he described being subjected to torture, were included in the indictment as "abstract statements."

The allegations that the child's hands and feet were cuffed with plastic ties inside the vehicle and that he was left by a stream were also deemed impossible because camera footage showed the child walking beside witness U.A. three minutes after being dropped off from the armored vehicle.

The indictment stated that the police officers committed the crime of "depriving a person of their liberty" by holding the child unauthorized inside the armored vehicle for 25-30 minutes, and also the crime of "damaging property" by throwing the child's phone out of the vehicle.

The indictment requested a prison sentence of between 1 and 5 years for the crime of "depriving a person of their liberty" and a sentence of between 4 months and 3 years for the crime of "damaging property."

Three police officers were arrested, and two police officers were released on judicial control. The police officers denied the charges in their statements.

"Torture and injury"

The Diyarbakır Bar Association demanded the indictment be returned, stating that the crime was "torture" and "intentional injury." The Bar Association asked for an indictment to be prepared for the crimes of "depriving a person of their liberty" and "damaging property."

Mehdi Özdemir, the Deputy Chairman of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, noted that the police officers were arrested on charges of "intentionally injuring with a firearm and misusing the population held by a public official."

Özdemir criticized the indictment, saying that it was an "indictment that lets the suspects go unpunished."

What happened?

A 14-year-old boy, Y.D., filed a complaint alleging that he was subjected to torture and abuse by police officers during Newroz celebrations on March 21 in Lice, Diyarbakır. The boy claimed that he was forced to curse, threatened with death, and thrown into a riverbed with his hands and feet tied after being forced to ride in an armored vehicle by the officers.

Following the complaint, an investigation was launched and three out of the five police officers who were taken into custody were arrested on charges of "intentional injury." The Diyarbakır Governor's Office announced that the officers had been suspended from duty and that an administrative investigation had been launched.

Nahit Eren, the President of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, announced that both the Public Prosecutor's Office and the plaintiff's attorneys had objected to the decision to release two police officers by the Lice Criminal Court of Peace. Eren stated that "as a result of the objections, arrest warrants were issued for the two police officers tonight."

However, the two police officers were released on judicial control measures with a ban on leaving the country after the Penal Court of First Instance ordered their arrest. (AS/VK)