June 24, 2024 (Elif Akgül) -
A police officer has been prosecuted for torture after allegedly pulling out a woman’s hair and dancing to the Mehter March during a raid on the Idil Cultural Center seven years ago. The investigation was launched after the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission requested information on the incident.
Despite Turkey's official "zero tolerance" policy on torture and ill-treatment, such cases continue to rise. The indictment details the systematic torture by the Istanbul Anti-Terrorism Branch during the May 30, 2017 operation at the Idil Cultural Center in Okmeydanı.
Parliamentary Human Rights Commission requests information
Begüm Varan, who came from the Netherlands to visit her sister, a member of the music group Grup Yorum, was detained along with group members at the Idil Cultural Center. Varan’s account of the torture was reported on June 7, 2017, by the news site T24, featuring photos of her injuries.
The Parliamentary Human Rights Commission requested an investigation and a report from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office the following day.
Systematic torture incompatible with human dignity
The prosecutor’s office, upon reviewing Varan's testimony and a forensic report indicating severe injuries, charged officer E.Ç. with torture under Article 94/1 of the Turkish Penal Code. The forensic report noted that Varan's hair had been forcibly pulled out, leaving patches of bleeding and a 5 cm diameter swollen area on her scalp.
The indictment describes the police officer's actions as degrading and punitive, causing physical pain, humiliation, and psychological harm to Varan in a systematic manner.
Police chief ordered, 'Let the fun begin, turn off the lights'
Varan detailed the systematic torture in her statement, describing how police stormed the center, calling it a "terrorist nest," and handcuffed her behind her back before loading her onto a bus with 11 others. She recounted the instructions from a police chief to start the "fun" and to turn off the lights to avoid outside visibility.
'They pulled my hair out and danced to the Mehter March'
Varan described a female officer who mockingly told her she looked like a "satanist" before pulling her hair out repeatedly. The officer then danced with the hair as if it were a handkerchief and suggested continuing the abuse to the Mehter March. Varan said two female officers later trapped her hair between bus seats, causing further bald patches.
Officer ordered 'one last round of torture'
Varan stated that the abuse continued at the hospital, with a female police chief mocking her hair loss. On the way to the police station, the chief ordered a final round of torture, after which officers attacked them again. Varan said two female officers repeatedly bashed her head against another detainee’s head.
Officer claims Varan self-harmed
Officer E.Ç., in his defense, accused Varan of self-harm during her attempt to resist and claimed she hurt herself while trying to get off the vehicle. The case against him for torture will be heard on June 25 at the Istanbul 39th High Criminal Court.
Council of Europe: Torture increasing in Turkey
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), of which Turkey is a member, reported in January that cases of torture and ill-treatment in custody and prisons in Turkey are increasing. The report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) highlighted findings from visits to various Turkish cities and rural areas in 2017 and 2019, noting inconsistencies with Ankara's "zero tolerance" policy on torture. Despite Turkey's responses to these reports, numerous arbitrary practices, ill-treatment, poor conditions, torture, and harassment complaints persist.
