Tortured by police, 3 children face up to 26 years in prison

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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A lawsuit has been filed against Ö.S. (14), Ş.Y. (16) and O.D. (17), who were subjected to torture at a district police department in Turkey's Kurdish-majority eastern province of Van.

While the three children are now facing 26 years in prison, a group of lawyers from the Van Bar Association filed a criminal complaint about the incident that happened on February 15, 2019. The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation upon this complaint.

As reported by Müjdat Can from Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the prosecutor carrying out the investigation against the police officers has changed five times so far and no progress has been made in the investigation.

Sending an official letter to the İpekyolu District Security Directorate on May 21, the prosecutor's office conducting the investigation demanded the list of the police officers who were on duty on the day of the incident and requested that the related police officers be identified.

İpekyolu Security Directorate responded to this official letter on June 18. Noting that the incident concerned the Counterterrorism Branch, the District Security Directorate did not fulfill the demands.

The camera footage captured on the day of the incident and demanded by the lawyers have not yet been added to the investigation file.

While the suspect police officers have not yet been identified, either, the three children are now facing a criminal case on charges of "possession or hand-over of hazardous materials", "resisting to prevent the fulfilment of duty", "insult", "propagandizing for a terrorist organization", "being a member of the organization" and "jeopardizing traffic safety."

The indictment lodged against the children demands their imprisonment of 10 to 26 years on the offenses charged.

'He hit his head while escaping...'

The 3-page indictment has been accepted by the Van 6th Heavy Penal Court, which means that the investigation against the children has now turned into a criminal case. While the first page of the indictment is allocated to the definition and description of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the next part cites the police report as to the offenses charged against children.

The indictment alleges that one of the children (Ş.Y.) hit his head on the wall of a balcony while escaping from the police: "...[considering that] the materials that he threw while escaping are used in street protests with the aim of hiding one's open identity, the child pushed into crime was caught in the area where the street protests unfolded and the materials he reportedly threw while [police were trying to] catch him belonged to him..."

While the indictment also says that photos and videos "propagandizing for the organization" were found in children's phones, the first hearing of the lawsuit will be held on February 25, 2021. (RT/SD)