Police Torture Case Outlast Again

During the court sitting on February 16, defendant police officers İbrahim Dedeoğlu, Hasan Cavit Orhan and Sadi Çaylı gave and completed their arguments.

A ruling has been avoided because the heading judge couldn't attend the trial, said Altinbas' lawyer Oya Aydın. It's highly probable that a decision would be disclosed on the next sitting on March 23.

All three police officers claimed not to join Altinbas' interrogation at the police station, which led to his death.

Orhan said his signature isn't present on the custody records regarding Altinbas while Dedeoğlu claimed that there isn't enough evidence regarding his presence at the interrogation and Çaylı alleged that he wasn't even at the auspices.

Dedeoglu claimed Altinbas hurt himself saying "Following his arrest by the gendarmerie on January 9, 1991; he banged his head to the walls on several occasions and these incidents are on record". They demanded their acquittal on the allegations.

Constant deferrals

Birtan Altınbaş (born in 1967 in the village of Sarıpolat in the Markara district of Tekirdağ province) was taken into custody by police officers affiliated with the Anti-Terror branch of the Ankara Security Directorate on January 9, 1991 upon leaving Hacettepte University, where he was a student in the Department of Computer Engineering. While in custody, he died as a result of torture on January 15, 1991.

Pursuant a complaint filed by a number of individuals and organizations, including witnesses to the torture in questıon, an investigation was initiated by the Ankara Public Prosecutor.

The trial is regarded as one of the longest torture trials in Turkey.

Defendants prolonged the trials using procedural loopholes such as constantly changing lawyers which results in deferrals.

In 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had sent a letter to Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and told him he was worried the Altinbas trial would not end before the statute of limitation runs out and thus the police officers would not be punished. (AO/EÜ)

* For further information on the case, please click here to reach an article by Altinbas' lawyers, as published in a Human Rights Association (İHD) bulletin in 2004.