Anti-torture case to test rule of Turkish law
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Şafak Timur
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 22, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The case involving the alleged murder of Engin Ceber at the hands of police has generated serious criticism of the government and corrections officials, and protesters were present outside the trial calling for a ’Zero tolerance to torture.’ Minister Şahin has already apologized
As the first trial in the case of Engin Çeber, who was allegedly beaten in police custody and then tortured to death in prison, started yesterday in Istanbul, expert opinion on the case varied.
The case has generated serious criticism of the government and corrections officials and protesters were present outside the trial calling for a "Zero tolerance to torture."
"This case can be a test for disclosing whether there is political and judicial will to fight torture," said Yusuf Alataş, the deputy president of the International Federation of Human Rights. "If the legal process and the conclusion is not a deterrent, Turkey’s persuasiveness in the struggle against torture will disappear. Turkey’s record about the issue is already negative," Alataş said, adding that despite the government’s discourse about zero tolerance against torture, there was no efficient investigation against torture until today.
However, some professional chambers, which are expected to apply to act as intervening parties to the case, crtiticized the substance of the accusations against the suspects. Four of the suspects are accused of murder by torture, while others are accused of causing pain and intentionally injuring someone, which is a less serious crime than torture. "Torture should be among crimes against humanity," a joint statement read from the Istanbul Chamber of Physicians, Public Employees Trade Union Confederation, or KESK’s Istanbul Branches Platform and Istanbul Coordination Board of Turkish Union of Engineers’ and Architects’ Chambers, or TMMOB. "The system of law is unfortunately well away from the idea of "zero tolerance" the statement mentioned.
Journalist Adnan Keskin, who works on human rights and judicial issues, said the directors of the security forces should also be included in the case. "For an efficient punishment, those who are supposed to prevent torture should be punished as well. Turkey has not opened the page of ’zero tolerance’ yet," Keskin said.
Çeber, 29, was arrested while protesting police brutality at the end of September. Ferhat Gerçek,19, was shot by a police in 2007 while he was selling a leftist journal and lost his ability to walk. Çeber was demonstrating against the Gerçek shooting. After 13 days in custody, Çeber was admitted to hospital where he later died of a brain hemorrhage, and with several reports, it was disclosed that he was tortured.
The incident attracted intense public reaction and Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin has apologized to Çeber's family in what was a rare gesture for a state official in these circumstances and admitted that Çeber had suffered "ill treatment." Currently, 60 suspects including security guards of Metris prison, in which Çeber is alleged to have been tortured, as well as the prison doctor, who is alleged to have signed a health certificate without ever having seen Çeber, were all being tried.
Need for change of mentality
Adnan Keskin also said it would take Turkey a long time to eliminate torture. "Torture is political in Turkey. Turkish security forces are ideologically enemies to leftist thought. It was significant for Çeber that he was a leftist," Keskin said. "When Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah orders police to disperse a crowd they use double the violence," he said, recalling the May Day protests in 2007, in which police beat many protestors in streets. Torture is used as a way to get information from a suspect but in Turkey it is also used to punish someone who holds to a contrary ideology, he said. "It is necessary to dissolve the current cronyism to change the political mentality," Keskin added. Mehmet Altan, a columnist for daily Star, blamed the current stray from the EU membership process for the increase of incidents like this one, as he reminded his readers that along with Çeber, nine people were shot by police, as they were alleged to have disobeyed orders to stop. "This is the result of thinking that continues as the criteria of Ankara rather than the EU," Altan said. The trial is expected to continue today.
The case has generated serious criticism of the government and corrections officials and protesters were present outside the trial calling for a "Zero tolerance to torture."
"This case can be a test for disclosing whether there is political and judicial will to fight torture," said Yusuf Alataş, the deputy president of the International Federation of Human Rights. "If the legal process and the conclusion is not a deterrent, Turkey’s persuasiveness in the struggle against torture will disappear. Turkey’s record about the issue is already negative," Alataş said, adding that despite the government’s discourse about zero tolerance against torture, there was no efficient investigation against torture until today.
However, some professional chambers, which are expected to apply to act as intervening parties to the case, crtiticized the substance of the accusations against the suspects. Four of the suspects are accused of murder by torture, while others are accused of causing pain and intentionally injuring someone, which is a less serious crime than torture. "Torture should be among crimes against humanity," a joint statement read from the Istanbul Chamber of Physicians, Public Employees Trade Union Confederation, or KESK’s Istanbul Branches Platform and Istanbul Coordination Board of Turkish Union of Engineers’ and Architects’ Chambers, or TMMOB. "The system of law is unfortunately well away from the idea of "zero tolerance" the statement mentioned.
Journalist Adnan Keskin, who works on human rights and judicial issues, said the directors of the security forces should also be included in the case. "For an efficient punishment, those who are supposed to prevent torture should be punished as well. Turkey has not opened the page of ’zero tolerance’ yet," Keskin said.
Çeber, 29, was arrested while protesting police brutality at the end of September. Ferhat Gerçek,19, was shot by a police in 2007 while he was selling a leftist journal and lost his ability to walk. Çeber was demonstrating against the Gerçek shooting. After 13 days in custody, Çeber was admitted to hospital where he later died of a brain hemorrhage, and with several reports, it was disclosed that he was tortured.
The incident attracted intense public reaction and Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin has apologized to Çeber's family in what was a rare gesture for a state official in these circumstances and admitted that Çeber had suffered "ill treatment." Currently, 60 suspects including security guards of Metris prison, in which Çeber is alleged to have been tortured, as well as the prison doctor, who is alleged to have signed a health certificate without ever having seen Çeber, were all being tried.
Need for change of mentality
Adnan Keskin also said it would take Turkey a long time to eliminate torture. "Torture is political in Turkey. Turkish security forces are ideologically enemies to leftist thought. It was significant for Çeber that he was a leftist," Keskin said. "When Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah orders police to disperse a crowd they use double the violence," he said, recalling the May Day protests in 2007, in which police beat many protestors in streets. Torture is used as a way to get information from a suspect but in Turkey it is also used to punish someone who holds to a contrary ideology, he said. "It is necessary to dissolve the current cronyism to change the political mentality," Keskin added. Mehmet Altan, a columnist for daily Star, blamed the current stray from the EU membership process for the increase of incidents like this one, as he reminded his readers that along with Çeber, nine people were shot by police, as they were alleged to have disobeyed orders to stop. "This is the result of thinking that continues as the criteria of Ankara rather than the EU," Altan said. The trial is expected to continue today.