A delegation of Diyarbakır, Van and Hakkari bar associations has confirmed that the villagers of Korgan village in Şemdinli district of Hakkari province were subjected to ill-treatment and torture by Turkish law enforcement officers on May 31 after their investigations by visiting the villagers.
According to a report released by the delegation after their visit, held at gunpoint, the villagers had their head repeatedly put into the water and they were threatened and insulted. The villagers were left to die after they were tortured by Turkish soldiers.
According to a report by pro-Kurdish Fırat news agency (ANF), the delegation of bar associations met with four victims of torture, who are shepherds and one of them seriously injured. However, a request by the delegation for a meeting with Şemdinli Chief Prosecutor was reportedly rejected.
The report stated that torture and ill-treatment happened in a pastureland where residents of Korgan village grazed their cattle, an area where there are no military restrictions. The torture was allegedly committed by 5 pubic officials, one of them high-ranking, who came from the military base in the region.
By saying that the number of victims suffering from torture and ill-treatment is not two but four, the report went on as follows:
“The victims, named as Nasır Taş, Ramazan Aktaş, İsmail Erebi and Muhsin Çavişi, have suffered injuries to their heads as a result of battery with rifle butts. Nasır Taş suffered torture and his head was repeatedly put into water. The victims were further threatened and insulted.
“It was stated that Nasır Taş was severely wounded and that he was taken to the hospital by the relatives of other victims. The soldiers told the relatives of Taş ‘We killed a terrorist, go and get him.’
“The whole process of taking statements and complaints was done by a law enforcement officer, without the presence of a sworn translator, without lawyers. Law enforcement officers that perpetrated torture and ill-treatment were identified by the victims. The documents found in the investigation file are not submitted despite the request of the lawyers.
“In the last one year, cases of such torture and ill-treatment in the region, especially Şemdinli have increased. This is an aggravating torture crime due to the fact that the act committed is life-threatening as defined in Article 95 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).”
In the report’s conclusions and proposals, attention is drawn to the fact that no statements by witnesses have been taken during the investigation carried out by the gendarmerie. The investigation has not been conducted properly.
“For an effective and impartial investigation, given that the alleged responsible of the torture are soldiers, the case should be transferred from the gendarmerie to the Security Directorate,” also stated the delegation.
The report said that “Psychological support for the victims and their relatives should be provided to deal with the trauma they have suffered due to torture and ill-treatment and the necessary health care should be provided.
“A proper investigation about the incident should be carried out and observers should sent to the region from the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, Turkey’s Human Rights and Equality Authority, the Ministry of Justice Human Rights Department and the Province and District and Human Rights Violations boards.
“We have seen that recently these and similar incidents are recurrent and result in heavy human rights violations. In addition to the necessary judicial and administrative inquiries we call on the government to show a clear will to prevent such and similar incidents that will cause polarisation and division.”
The post A delegation from bar associations confirms torture by Turkish soldiers in Şemdinli appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.
from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/a-delegation-from-bar-associations-confirms-torture-by-turkish-soldiers-in-semdinli/
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