Defendants claim police abuse during detentions at commemoration of Amasra mining disaster victims
In the third hearing of a case involving 26 individuals detained during a commemoration of the Amasra mining disaster, defendants testified that they were subjected to torture during their arrest. The trial, held at the 65th Criminal Court of First Instance in Ankara, centers around accusations that the group violated the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911) while attempting to hold a press statement to honor the 41 miners killed in the October 2022 explosion at a mine in Amasra, located in Bartın province.
Defendants describe torture during arrests
Defendant Çağla Yeşim Çakır was the first to present her defense, stating that she had gone to the miner's monument in Ankara following a call from unions to participate in a press statement commemorating the victims of the Amasra mining disaster. She emphasized that she was exercising her constitutional right to assembly when she was detained without warning and subjected to torture, including being handcuffed behind her back. Çakır denied the charges against her.
Another defendant, Ertürk Soysal, also described being arrested without warning while negotiations were still ongoing between political representatives and law enforcement. He testified that he was beaten and unable to open his eyes due to pepper spray. Soysal, too, rejected the accusations and requested acquittal.
Lawyers' requests and trial delay
The defense lawyers, Sercan Aran, Sidal Bayrak, and Nilüfer Irmak Özkan, requested that certain procedural deficiencies be addressed before presenting their final defense statements. The court postponed the trial to January 23, 2025, to allow time for these deficiencies to be resolved.
Background
The defendants were arrested in Ankara while attempting to participate in a press statement commemorating the 41 miners who lost their lives in a mining explosion in Amasra on October 2022. The arrests and allegations of police brutality have sparked concerns about freedom of assembly and the use of excessive force by Turkish authorities.
