Sexual abuse case report freeing Turkish columnist medically invalid

Huseyin Uzmez, a columnist on the pro-Islamic daily Vakit, had been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old. His release last week sparked a public outcry.

"His release, based on the report, should be revised and re-evaluated," the general secretary of the Turkish Doctors Association (TTB), Eris Bilaloglu, was quoted by Hurriyet Daily News (HDN) as saying on Tuesday.

Comparing the date of the report - Sept. 22, with the date of the victim's examination - Sept 19, Bilaloglu stated that the normal time taken to prepare a forensic report was about three to four weeks.

"At this conjunction, the fact that the report on the victim was prepared in one working day shows that there was an accelerated report writing process. As such, the situation raised suspicions the reporting was interfered with and the accused is protected," he asserted.

Bilaloglu reiterated the legal obligation that states the forensic committee should also include a child psychiatrist. "Examining and reporting a case concerned with pedophilia without consulting a child psychiatrist is against forensic law and a report prepared this way can not be considered an expert report," he emphasized.

He also stressed that mental health and children psychiatry were two different medical disciplines and accused the Forensic Medicine Institution's chair, Dr. Keramettin Kurt, of neglecting his duties and not keeping a child psychiatrist in the committee.

The TTB, the Istanbul Doctors Chamber, the Bursa Doctors' Chamber, the Forensic Specialists' Association, the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Association, the Adolescent Health Association and the Turkish Pediatrics Foundation have launched a joint scientific analysis into the report to prepare an extended evaluation report, Bilaloglu said.