13/02/2024 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
Rights defenders from İstanbul Trans Pride Week, who were detained last Saturday, reported that the torture continued in the detention vehicle. Lawyer Burcu Uçuran spoke about what happened during the interrogation, mentioning the “alleged torture that took place inside the detention vehicle.
The police attacked the protest organized by İstanbul Trans Pride Week in front of the Süreyya Opera House on Saturday February, 10. Eleven people who took part in the protest were detained under torture. Lawyers and journalists remained outside the circle formed by police. Speaking to KaosGL.org, human rights defenders described the torture inside the detention vehicle.
Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Association (SPoD) lawyer Burcu Uçuran said the torture continued inside the police van and that they reserved the right to file a complaint.
Yağmur, one of the rights defenders who participated in the protest, stated that the torture continued in the detention vehicle after they were handcuffed behind their backs:
“We were verbally harassed and tortured at first. Having been subjected to transphobic and moralistic discourses, we were physically assaulted by the police inside the detention vehicle on the way to the hospital where we were to be examined. I was slapped and punched in the eye, ear and nose. I was handcuffed behind my back at the time, so I had no chance to defend myself. My ear and eyes are swollen and I have numbness in the fingers of my left hand because I was handcuffed behind my back. While this torture was taking place in the vehicle, verbal harassment and violence continued. In addition to the physical torture inflicted on us, the psychological dimension of all this is very tiring and exhausting.”
“Verbal and psychological harassment continued until the moment of release”
Çağıl was among the human rights defenders who took part in the protest and were detained under torture. Çağıl explained that they had gathered in front of the Süreyya Opera House to protest against inequalities and all rights violations as a result of the earthquake:
“In the early hours of the morning we were confronted by hundreds of policemen, that is to say a hundred times more than those who protested. We entered the area with the plain clothes policemen who had been behind us for hours, overcoming the blockade they had created, to say that we are here despite you and that your bans are unlawful. We were denied access to the press, lawyers and our friends inside the blockade. I was handcuffed behind my back, leaned against the detention vehicle and hit on the head several times. I was told to bow down before the state and while a police was grabbing me by the head and bend me downward, the other one hit me hard on the head with his thigh. I was kicked in the back while getting into the vehicle. That’s why I can’t walk now. I was punched in the nose, on the left and right side of my face, I can't move my jaw because of the blow on the left side, I’ve been consuming liquid foods for a few days. The verbal and psychological harassment continued from the moment of arrest until the moment of release.”
“Dispersal warning was not issued”
SPoD lawyer Burcu Uçuran, who took part in the testimony, said that they were only able to photograph and record the torture in the detention van before the testimony. Uçuran added that some of the human rights defenders received assault report from the hospital:
“They interviewed the demonstrators one by one. ‘Do you want to talk about your background?’ ‘Have you been notified of the ban?’ were among the questions, which are routine, they were asked. No banning order was served. There was also no dispersal warning from the protest zone, as required by law. In fact, after the dispersal warning, they were supposed to form a security corridor and be evacuated from the area, but this was not done. They were directly arrested by force and the violence continued in the vehicle. Together with the lawyers who took their statements, we recorded this violence and reserved the right to file a complaint.”
An unusual question: “Did anyone pressure or encourage you to participate in the protest?”
Uçuran stated that the rights defenders were taken into custody for violating the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations, and said:
“The arrest report indicates that the activists were detained ‘by progressively increasing force to break their physical resistance,’ implying that ‘force was applied incrementally due to resistance.’ They claim that 11 activists resisted against 50-60 police officers, which is not realistic physically. They were all detained for allegedly violating Law No. 2911. The interrogation record includes questions like ‘Was the ban decision issued, and was it communicated to you?' However, a ban cannot be imposed on a constitutional right. The district governorship announced this on their website without informing anyone. This is procedurally incorrect.”
In addition, Uçuran stated that during the testimony process, the rights defenders were asked the question “Did anyone pressure or encourage you to participate in the protest?” and made the following assessment:
"They attempted to steer the interrogation process towards the government’s classic rhetoric, such as the ‘LGBTI lobby’.”
What happened?
Members of İstanbul Trans Pride Week Committee, which made a call for a protest in front of the Süreyya Opera House, were attacked by the police. 11 people were detained under torture during the protest, and Pride Week lawyers and press workers who reacted to the torture were removed from the area. All but one of the rights defenders detained on the day of the protest were released. Following the release of the detainees, İstanbul Trans Pride Week issued the following statement:
“The detention and subsequent ill-treatment throughout the night following the torture inflicted on our friend, who was released on judicial control measures including a travel ban and signing in every two days, is unacceptable. You’re threatening our physical safety, and we’re fully aware of that. However, we refuse to back down. We will continue our fight, lodging all necessary objections. As transgender individuals, we reiterate from here: you cannot remove us from the streets, campuses, parliament, workplaces, hospitals, or any other area of life. We exist. Our presence grows stronger each day! Long live our transgender struggle across all aspects of life!”
Tags: human rights
