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I swear I'll escape, my dear.
May God not leave us to their hands.
What can I do ?
There are men (police) everywhere, but not this much wildness or brutality.
Politics means the administration of the City-State in Ancient Greek.
Police as a word also comes from the same root.
Politics, today's meaning, is the way to use force without police.
If people feel themselves under threat...
or feel a risk about their own security...
This can be either real, created or just made up... not so important
If they feel an emotional threat,
They can consent to a lot of dirty business.
After the attack to the WTC in USA at 9/11
With the justification of national security and fight against terrorism
The govenrment said to the people: "give up your rights and freedom"
And the world is dragged to a regime of force majeure with this dilemma.
Same thing is also viable for our country...
In fact, the policy is very related to politics
Meaning that, the current political governments determine about what the security policy is going to be like.
Let the march begin, let the barricade open !
KESK arranged a rally at March 29th against the law known as 4+4+4 (about the education system)
And the Mayor of Ankara had released a speech.
In his speech, he had said that the Police Department of Ankara
has been a great example of the engineering of modern security.
And congratulated the PD of Ankara.
If you say 2911,then we are here ! (an act number regarding to rallies)
Security policies are corresponding to three different areas:
One of them is politics, the other one is juridical
and the last one is about the police bureaucracy or the bureaucracy of security.
These are cyclical concepts for sure...
Juridical applies a specific law and follows it.
If the law changes, then the opinion of the juridical has to change inevitably.
The same picture is viable also for police departments.
But if you think that the police departments and juridical are moving...
towards a more authoritarian understanding based on their own inner ideological configurations or factions,
those are different areas to analyze.
Yes, they are tended to that... but...
This... as I've said before... is very cyclical...
It is corresponding the political cyclic in an opinion... But in another opinion, not at all.
In an opinion, it is a very old tradition...
I mean to consider a regular citizen as guilty.
Danger, terror and enemy...
Enemies who are all around the country...
And their inner extensions and inner enemies...
These are the inspirers of the security policy.
National Security Law is a law that has never been changed
although everything changes in Turkey.
This law covers basically everything like
technology, economy, education, trade
and keeps the description of security very indistinct.
So it creates a security understanding that security departments’
leaks almost everywhere based on this law
and don’t give any autonomy to other areas.
To indicate those enemies as notional
might reflect as less offensive about the enemies
But on the contrary, if we consider the point that the consept of "terror" comes today
to keep it notional is very ideal to create a wider area to attack.
In the educational year of 2006 - 2007
in the class book of the History of Republic for 8th graders
the terrorist has been described.
This basic description about terrorist was saying that:
He wants independance, takes the side of labour
he says that he is against imperialism...
Metin Lokumcu lost his life in Hopa Rallies because of the excessive use of tear gas.
We have an educational system that has been shaped with the sense of enemy.
and unite against those enemies...
But this enemy changes time to time and government to government.
The enemy becomes the opposition...
becomes different oppositions and different undesirables...
Then the educational system changes.
And this turns to distrust in public memory.
Therefore, while trying to provide the security thru the education...
They create an unsecure environment by confusing people.
It looks like the main reason here is the development of
the capitalism in modern ages has been destituted the human soul.
And the feelings like insecurty and loneliness based on that.
We suddenly met security-guarded apartments, private safety guards
fences, secured gates, confined areas...
And people started to feel like they are in an insecure and grey world every moment.
And get in search for different security opportunities to cover it.
This can be to get security cams to their houses, to move security-guarded apartments or to be a member of big communities/congregations.
In the system that is kept alive with the liberal and neo-liberal politics senses standing for the market
Each malfunction would create a new incorporation.
We don't have a different criminal climate after '80s comparing with before '80s.
Even though there is not a great increment on criminal rates,
how come the people who feels themselves safer before '80s,
started to think that they live in an insecure world after all ?
September 12, 1980 was arresting basically all the society...
They tried to maintain economical development with tying all the democratic dynamics
in the country by the military and with aplying force by the PD's.
If we consider pro and post coup periods,
We can say that there is a concept of public administration in Turkey
based on the need of non-stop defense and attack.
The way of function of the intelligence agencies in Turkey
is a serious obstacle on democratization of the PD's.
Police Intelligence was beyond the civil intelligence of Turkey (MIT)
-which is also speculative- until last decade.
You can say that to be police in a country that the Police Intelligence is that strong
it is a intelligential policemanship.
What does "Intelligential Policemanship" mean ?
It means policemanship that can easily
“blacklist” people, label people, categorize people
and then illegalize them under the law frame via PD’s.
Police Intelligence is not that strong in other democratic countries.
Almost nowhere... That is very important.
Why the Police Intelligence is that strong ?
That should be discussed in Turkey.
Anti-riot forces, Intelligence, Police Intelligence and Special Forces is established after 1980 coup.
And we realize that the number of police increases excessively.
While there are 50 thousands of Police at 1980,
it is planned to increase it to 271 thousands by the end of 2013.
And we see private security companies who are founded in 90's illegally
like commercial companies.
And they spread really fast.
And this illegal settlement that we mention legalizes at 2004 with the Act 5188
Private security forces is placed everywhere
that is considered to be protected –starting with colleges-
and became another unit which shares and carries out the violent hand of the state in the city centers.
For example, those private security forces has been assaulted lawyers
who are protesting in Istanbul Courthouse recently.
A year ago, it is emerged the private securities violence on kids...
in Cevahir Mall in Istanbul.
So they also commit violence as much as the police.
Students of Eskisehir Osmangazi University would like to protest the food prices
"We will share the food... Look, we will just share the food.
We are not going to touch anything or anybody in cafeteria."
"We struggle for our right of qualitative and cheap feeding...
we are going to the cafeteria."
We talk about police that much since they are entrusted in cities.
On the other hand, gendarme (military police) in rural areas and private
security forces in the cities who shares the same security circle...
also part of the same violence accumulation.
So if we are going to talk about an official violence,
Istiklal street by just looking at their skin color or outfits even though they haven't done anything.
then we should also mention about a security device
In a better word: the security industry.
The State has created the private security companies as another force by giving
a spark of its own official violence and made it another secondary pressure
element with the laws that it has created again.
Counter-terrorism and Police Mission and Permissions Law has been modified
upon a so-called security threat at 2006 and 2007.
This change has been processed to make police stronger.
Another complementary element here was private courts.
Private courts has been exerted the enemy criminal law as the second part of
the concept called "the engineering of modern security"
The thing that is called “enemy law”
is announce the danger in advance and to see the people
as potential enemies and potential dangers.
There are almost ten thousand people in prison accused by terrorism.
What do you think that is ?
The suspect is considered as criminal and placed to prison.
And is judged.
The suspect is judged as criminal at the beginning.
However the suspect is being judged as innocent at the beginning in the international law.
These law existed always but being judged as prisoner is something else.
For example, a student goes to one or two rally, attends to a protest in his/her own campus.
And the student is judged as prisoner.
That student faces to lack of education.
Maybe that student is the first generation college student.
Or maybe the only kid can go to the college from that family.
That kid is a big hope for the family.
When the kid gets arrested, family is affected socially and economically in this case.
18 January 2012 - Ýzmir Public Proleterian Operation
"Open the door Police! Open! Police!"
"Kneel down there... kneel kneel..."
Since the sense of enemy is the fact,
they are taken from their houses as criminals.
And they call it "arrest".
I don't accept this description.
It is not acceptable to use "arrest" for somebody who is innocent.
This might be called asking his opinion for intelligence.
But this can't be done 4 or 5 am in the morning.
A call maybe sent and "we are suspicious about these issues, can you inform us" you can say.
Continuing KCK operations...
People gets arrested every day.
They are actually getting arrested... and being judged for months, for years.
But the political activities they are done
can't be considered as "terror" in any democratic country.
The general sense or the own opinion of the judges and solicitors was that
the juridical is under a statist, nationalist, national socialist mentality.
As there are the judges and soliciters
openly specifies that
"the function of the juridical is described as statism"
Even though not every one of them, the major mentality was that.
If you begin by considering all the people criminals who are opponent and
who has different ideological and systematic suggestions...
then you don't ask what their opinion is. You just see them as enemies...
And you refuse anything to use anything for their good.
This is the approach today in Turkey against omnibus cases.
This is also what is called "Enemy Law"
This problem can't be fixed with some allowances, technical or temporary interventions.
You can't make anything better in Turkey without touching the base,
changing the description of the "terror".
All those thousands of people can't be saved with this kind of temporary interventions.
When the law gives the right to the ones who deserve it...
The police interrupts there and tell to the people what to do.
There is an unpeaceful atmosphere if people are told
what to do purely by the police or the law
18 January 2013 - Istanbul, Modern Jurists Foundation
Modern Jusrists Foundation can't be silenced!
In Turkey, Police is not a hand to limit, to prohibit, to resrict anymore...
On the contrary, it is a collateral for law and democracy !
The European Union membership process has been accelerated...
especially after 2000.
It is began with the political criteria in Turkey also as it is in all member countries.
Police had a really important place on this criteria.
Therefore they have been started from the Police and the Home Department
I was working EU Chamber of Home Department in those days...
What I've seen is...
Police had tried to democratize itself and contribute to the process incredibly.
but it was when you look there from outside...
but it was something else inside actually...
Inside...
Police was getting stronger in the state...
It was getting stronger and solidifying its authority
in care of other departments and establishments.
And they used the EU Membership process for that.
It was different what was happening in central police bureaucracy
than what is told to outside
I mean a different picture had been shown...
We were told that police had been democratized and uses technology etc.
but we didn't see those innovations in the streets.
What was happening negative in the street just continued with the same fashion
If the socio-political climate of the country is tended to be more authoritarian...
And if it is considered as important to make the ones obey who are out of borders...
Then the legal arrangement are getting organized accordingly...
And police is getting more authorization.
When the legal arrangements becomes inadequate, then the police is protected openly.
The police gets encouraged, what they do is ignored, and goes unpunished.
And surely it is easier for the police grab his gun real quick...
and pull that trigger in a climate like that...
comparing with another system which is not that easy to get authoritarian
and has more democratic standards.
"With the reason of disobeying stop warning, he is killed with a police gun in his vehicle..."
Police and Permissions Law has been modified at 2007.
To stop, to ask for identity and to shoot.
I mean those acts are modified.
Police applies what is told and comes back.
What is crucial to us is to fulfill the duty.
Police shoot 9 bullets in Emrah Barlak case.
kills the one and injures the other two.
And then says that "I've done my job"
Yes, police uses violence... It is in the essence of policemanship.
Police represents the force, to use of force
Police is the tool for the judical force of the state.
The very first homicide was Festus Okey case.
Hakki Cangi and Ismet Inan is found dead
in the same police station in Anafartalar, Canakkale
And Baran Tursun in the same year... similar cases continues serially.
Those all are happened in police departments and is going to keep on happening most likely.
We call them "occupational accident" internally.
Just like you might lose your arm when you work in a lathe...
You can call this intentionally or self defense...
using force or increase of using force...
you can call it as you wish. But this kind of issues are real and happening
His hands were handcuffed and he was in jail...
And he wanted to drink some water...
we are told that he grabbed the gun while he is reaching for water.
and killed himself!
That is what they told us in police station. Nothing else.
A person who involved in a case like this wouldn't feel
less sorry than somebody whose fish is dead in his aquarium.
Now from the police's point of view, it was not a human that he had shot.
A police involves a case like this at night, can't go home easily next morning.
The concerned authority, generally public order department or homicide department comes.
Tkes you away, takes your gun, your identity...
Your testimony is being taken, you go to the court and stand in front of the judge.
You get laid off, you get abdicated from the job.
Or you go to prison as it was in Baran Tursun case.
These are not easy things.
Yes, you can say that "Can it be debated to go to prison in case of death?"
You are right. But they are not the people saying
"He was running, so I shot. I can just sleep and relax"
They are also getting through a serious trauma.
A real serious trauma in many cases.
I don’t think that the polices, soldiers, security guards
even the private security guards are getting through any compunction
since the socio-political and corporate culture allows them.
I mean the violent actions is welcomed,
ignored and even encouraged if it is needed
in this political and cultural environment.
518 people had applied to us at 2011 to be treated
because of they are tortured and maltreated.
A police car comes from the opposite direction but in wrong way.
They blinks to each other and Ahmet backs off.
Then Ahmet warns them about they are being in wrong way.
Then police takes off of car and starts to talk quite rudely.
They tell him to show his identity. And he says that he is under military service.
They say that they don't care his military service.
And he informs them about that he has a pregnant woman in the car.
And polices says: "we don't care !"
And when Ahmet pulls out his identity card, they hit his hand and he falls the identity card on the floor.
Ahmet calls his brother and talks in Kurdish.
Polices calls support by telling him that he calls support.
And things become as you can see on the screen.
Police has stopped us while we are coming from my brothers' street.
They'd told us that: "we are searching for drugs upon a notice"
But they hadn't asked for any identity, thereby no background check.
They had started to search directly.
Excuse me but they have told my brother to put down his pants and they will search.
And my brother had said that he can't put his pants down in the middle of the street.
He told them if they want to search like that, they can take him to
somewhere closed like the neighborhood tea house of the barber shop.
And one of the officers has told my brother:
"who the .... are you? Are you teaching my job to me?"
And slapped my brother.
Almost 50 officers who work in 75. Yuzyil Police Station had beaten us
in 9 different places from the beginning until the end.
We went to the emergency gate of the hospital. And we wanted to get in.
They didn't let us in.
Polices said that: "they are under arrest. Don't go in."
I'd cried and begged to the God.
I'd told them: "let me see my kid, for God's sake"
What happened ? What my kids can do ? They work non-stop until that moment.
They didn't let me in. And kicked me. Then I fell down with that kick.
My eardrum had punctured.
I also have that in the report. I still don't have my eardrum.
I'd told them that my ear hurts. I can't hear anything.
Just a heavy pain and resonation.
And they have told that this is nothing yet and they will make us way worse.
They've told us that they will penetrate their baton to us.
They'd told us: "We will kill y'all. We'll finish you up.
And if you complaint about us, then we will exterminate y'all"
They'd told us: "You are dead here in Yenibosna (a neighborhood in Istanbul)"
They'd beaten us in separate 4 cars until the footbride around Sinan Erdem Sport Center.
I had a bump around my eyes. My face was bleeding and dropping on my knees.
They'd told us: "if your blood pollute our car, then we will kill you"
And while they are changing the shift, a head officer asked them what is our crime ?
Another the officer said that:
"They are police killer. They'd shot our coworker. Terrorists."
Then they had started to hit stronger then the other officers.
Around 30 polices had beaten us in lawyer meeting office.
Then another police officer has suggested to beat us outside.
He said that if they beat us up outside, there will be no evidence and no one can record it.
I've begged to the God for them to let my kids go. Enough !
They'd taken them to the car and taken them away right in front of my eyes.
We were accused as drug users in the very beginning. Then it turned to drug dealing.
We became police killer and terrorist in the hospital.
And the people around us told them to kill us and throw us in the see.
It was a nurse saying those words. I was shocked.
They will beat my kid up wherever they see. They've told and they are telling.
I tell my kids to go to opposite direction to not run across those felons.
None of those claims is heard in the court. None of those words.
No killer, no felon, no terrorist. It was only to "resist to do our job"
I want to go back to Batman (a city in Eastern Turkey) I want to sell my house here.
I don't want to my kids fall in another trouble like this.
I can't tell exactly all the trouble they've given us.
They were so brutal that they could blind my kid. He has lost his eye.
Police categorizes the public.
And we should admit that they discriminate people...
according to their gender, ethnical background,
different attributes and other skills as a result of it.
I live in izmir since 1963. All of my kids were born here.
Everybody knows and witnesses that we have no problem with anybody here.
They've killed my son just because of we are from Mardin.
After we've said that we are from Batman, they didn't ask any identity or do any background check.
They'd started to beat us after we'd said that we're from Batman.
Why do they discriminate? Why do they kill us ?
Yes, we can criticize the mistakes of the police.
But if we say that they discriminate according to racial background, that would be unfair.
I know a lot of good intended polices who buys even the sanitary pads to the African
people with their own money who they caught in human trafficking sheeps.
We have seen that the police commit violence against Kurds in Istanbul in
Just because of the possibility that they might commit to crime.
He asked what did he do and why did they bring him there. Talked back to them.
And they have killed him when he talked back. That's all.
I never forget that first time I've faced with police violence when I was 10.
And now I'm 38. I still experience violence constatly since I was 20.
When we look at the list, we see the women...
who are accused of prostitution as the target.
We see transgenders, for example.
I was walking on the Istiklal street a week before.
Police realizes that I'm transgender... "Hey you ! Come here you twerp !" Can you imagine ?
Police Departments are consevative structurally.
It is hard to expect them to be tolerant to marginal people since they are coming from regular Turkish cultural base.
They think that homosexuals are potential criminals and homosexuality is aberration.
That's how we thought about homosexuals for years.
I've said "Is my name twerp?"
Why do I talk to you? Is my name twerp?
Grabs you right away... This is a part of violence.
He says: "give me your identity card, you twerp!"
What is that? That much hatred ?
We have fought with illegal *** crimes as PD with the violence.
But everybody knows that homosexuality is a *** choice.
It is not a crime and has nothing to do with the police.
It has happened at 2001. I rememer clearly.
They have soaked us with pressurized water and beaten us up.
Then they left us, three transgender, totally nude until the morning.
All three of us... they made us wait there until the morning.
You don't know if the sun has risen.
There is only one little hole and that is the only space that you can see the light. There is no light inside.
You are not allowed to talk and you are kept there without food also.
And police says that if you have oral sex with me,
I'll bring you half of a bread.
Have I done ? Yes, I've done. I was starving to death.
No food, no time concept.
They tell me: "You don't go there again!" And you face this torture.
We send homosexuals away from Alsancak
since people say that they don't want to see homosexuals there.
Homosexuals are not our job.
They are the ones pushing people also, though.
We were working on a street in Elmadag at 2010.
Polices were coming to our house in Elmadag constantly. And they've burnt it out finally.
The guy came, spread the petrolium, burnt and left...
Then people had raided our house. They came with big bats and cleavers.
Then Anti-riot Forces came. That house should have been evacuated.
They say that we are prostituting even though we do or not.
They see you different when they realize that you are transgender.
But why? It is based on our state.
State likes it that way. It wants that the people see you that way.
This is how people thinks already. They say that: "He is prostituting. He is a filth. Police does well."
That suits state's interest. But people doesn't know it.
They don't know what's going on actually. If they'd do, they wouldn't think that way.
Personal choice... If somebody commits to a crime
under the name of homosexuality then police can take care of it.
But you can't expect the police fight with homosexuals just because they live in a neighborhood.
But police is not tolerant to the marginals as the society that he/she is coming from.
I had another issue just 15 days ago.
We were in a car on the road. Captain Police Officer came and stopped us.
He was holding a sprey and a bat in this hand.
He was hitting the window of the car.
And saying: "Open it. Open the door, twerps !"
He had asked my identity as soon as I've opened the door.
And as sood as he got it, he cathed me from my hairs and hit me to the car.
"I've told you to open the door. Why didn't you open it ?"
Handcuffed me and threw me in the police car.
And he was hitting me at the same time and saying: "Die, you filthy creatures!"
He hit me with the walkie-talkie that he was holding.
I had bruises on my hands and my back.
These are all the foundation ideology of republic in Turkey.
Everybody should be Turk and Muslim... Preferably Sunni.
Heterosexual etc... There is a stereotype wanted.
And the police and the military has been organized accoringly.
You don't see any problem when you check the subjects and courses.
Everything is designed according to a modern and democratic law state.
Police Academy always want to be like Military Academies.
People emulates to soldiers and to Military Academies in Police Academy.
When police becomes like soldier, otherizes the people that he serves.
Otherizes even though not hostilizes. Places somewhere across.
A fight of "we" and "they" starts from that moment on.
I told him that I leave you to the God's pusihment while he was hitting me.
I told him: "You hit a human handcuffed and enslaved and you are comfortable with that."
"God's going to punish you. You can't go with that"
And he started to hit harder.
And said that: "Who is God? Is God going to save you from us? We are your God now."
According to a research about Police subculture, Police thinks that he is the state or the God in two countries.
One of those countries is Japan and the other one is Turkey.
Police in Turkey clearly states that: "I'm the State"
A famous american academician who works about police describes them as street politicians.
That means polices does in the street whatever politicians do in the parliment.
Politicians in the parliment decide that which law is righter.
That's what police do in the street, actually.
"Why we can't choose them" is an important question.
Because they intervene our lives as much as politicians do.
Sometimes even more than them.
Police is the one limits the daily life of people, and sometimes the one who intervenes the most private parts.
It is very important who they are.
These images here shows that the bruises on the people
who are beaten with stiff matter
or with the police bat and regular violence.
Torture is not a thing that police applies to make somebody confess.
Torture is something subhuman.
Degrading treatment also is another form of torture.
These images are the results of usage of a simple form of
chemical weapon: tear gas... police uses this in social issues
these two wounds are occured by these tear gas capsules...
when they hit the body...
If they hit in short distance and hit somewhere sensitive in the human body may result with death.
5 victims in 2008, 4 victims in 2009,
5 victims in 2011 and 4 victims in 2012;
as a total 14 victims had lost their lives
because of the toxic effect, venenation and asthma effect
of this gas.
Or they lost their lives because of
these tear gas capsules hit their body and injured them.
I was exposed to the intense, unbelievably intense use of pressurized water,
Just water or water mixed with tear gas and other chemicals,
and dyed water as a form of police violence.
As a result I passed out and fainted.
I was taken to the hospital...
I was diagnosed with cracks in my patella, oedema in my bone marrows and asthma onset.
-You can not terrify us with these! -We are not terrifying.
You are terrifying!
Riot police enter to this university every day of the past week.
University students are potential criminals.
Protestors are potential criminals.
"Go home and study, you have nothing to do with these issues"
was the dominant idea. No kidding.
But as I said, police is not questioning these.
Rulers tell the police to “go to this school and interfere to the students protesting"
Police is not the decision maker.
"POLÝCE OUT, SCIENCE IN"
Police violence is a major problem in many countries.
Not only in Turkey but countries such as; Greece
Italy... Russia, Georgia, Armania,
Azerbaijan, Middle Asia etc... In all these coutries police violence is a problem.
The important point is weather and how the police is judged.
"Whoever they are, they always shoot."
"They torture on the police stations."
"These villains are always released."
In 2008 police shot a young guy in Athens, Greece.
Police Union made this statement:
"The Police can only use fire arms to save a life..
This is not the case in this event."
Then the whole nation rioted.
Minister of Interior Affairs resigned.
"I want justice!"
"It cuts to the bone!"
Unfortunately, impunity prevails in Turkey.
Almost always the process of investigation
Is sluggishly slow.
In some cases, investigations go on for years.
And end up null.
I talked about this with Burhan Kuzu, a professor of Constitutional Law.
"Sir, If a police takes out his/her gun,
aimes at a person and kills someone,
he may not be punished. This was seen in the case of Baran Tursun."
He replied: "There is no such thing. There is also the Supreme Court process".
"We will wait for the Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court do not easily confirm such decisions".
Only 5-6 months after this conversation,
The Supreme Court simply confirmed the court decision about the Baran Tursun case.
In the September 12 period, some of the soldiers and
Police officers, found guilty for torture, were punished.
Some of them were dismissed from profession.
What we see in the 2005-2007 period is;
There are no police officers dismissed from profession
due to police violence, torture and maltreatment.
We can not see a commissar or a chief of police,
facing a severe professional penalty.
Penalties are given mostly to police officers
such as retention of seniority for 10 months,
, but just in the form of let offs, thus not resulting
In losing their jobs.
"God forbid for all!"
"I bury one… and they search for blood for the other."
"This is atrocity."
"Even the police officer who shot Baran Tursun, got a punishment of 2 years,
The one who killed the other, was not even punished"
Such strong perceptions, resulted in a trend of
Just drawing the gun and killing.
In all events interfered by the police,
Those who prepare the documents, reports and evidence are also police officers
Thus the killings in these cases were done with the attendance of the police.
Police shot 11 times in the case of Emrah Barlak,
Nine of which hit the mark,
And the police officer, in order to save himself from punishment,
Make his other police officer friends stab a knife to his leg.
They immediately go to a hospital.
In order to give the image of being stabbed by Emrah Barlak.
For example, Soner Çankal was killed in Ankara
And a blank cartridge gun was placed in his body.
Finally, the Forensic Medicine investigators find no finger prints
On the gun placed on the body of Soner Çankal.
The police’s aim here was to make-up a scenario, where
a blank cartridge gun was aimed to them and they think it was a real gun etc.
For example, when they captured a child in Diyarbakýr
They place half a lemon in the child’s pocket.
Lemon! An evidence reliable enough for the police, the judge and the prosecutor.
They arrest the child as a terrorist just for being captured with a piece of lemon.
Alaattin Karadað was killed by the police in Ýstanbul.
It was claimed that Alaattin Karadað was shot after a warning to stop.
However, 11 police bullets were found in his body.
And we asked: “How can a ‘warning to stop’ end up in 11 bullets?".
Immediately they claimed that,
But these are the terror documents, books, leaflets etc. they told.
And Alaattin Karadað, shot by 11 bullets, announced to be the biggest terrorist in Turkey.
They say: "He was shot for not obeying to the 'warning to stop', not for being a terrorist”.
“Men, you are shooting a man 11 times for not obeying to the warning to stop!”
There was no single prosecutor, judge or state institution to tell this!
There is the concept of judiciary police.
An independent force under the command of the prosecutor.
Not to the security general directorate.
There is no such thing in Turkey.
The investigation process is completely under the control of the police.
They protect their colleagues. Yes!
This is among the primary obstructions in the investigation processes
as was explained to us by the prosecutors through examples.
This is an occupational chauvinism, some kind of solidarity If you do not stick with it, you are outcasted.
Because you live within this group 24 hoursa a day.
You can be a part of this group as long as you obey to the general standards and rules of it.
You get marginalized if you fall outside of the group’s standards.
Marginalization ends up with sickness.
When I consulted the governorate, the governor did not summoned the civil investigator.
He assigned the legal bureau of the police, even while I was suffering because of the police.
Ideally, when there is such a problem within the police force,
Alaattin Karadað wasn't shot for being a terrorist.
The administrative and judiciary investigation must be governed by an outsider.
They are telling that my son committed suicide
As a retired police officer I do not believe it.
I will make my act when and where justice ends,
and the prosecutors office completely blocks my way.
This is not a kid’s stuff.
As a retired police officer I will protest against the state.
They are telling that my brother committed suicide but we do not believe it.
In the case of Abdurrahman Sözen, a person that was left in the detention room
Over bare concrete, was found shot by a police gun.
When an angry person draws a gun, s/he shots the other person in the room…
The camera shots were not shown in any case.
And no claim was filed in Turkey for this case.
The respondent police officer confessed that the CCTV was operating.
Despite this, the CCTV record was never discussed in the investigation.
We demanded from the prosecutor to seize the hard disk.
The prosecutor concluded that the confession of the police was enough.
24 people were found dead in 24 police stations of Turkey.
We are not telling that police killed these people, police committed ***.
But in all of these 24 police stations, the fact that None of the CCTV cameras were operating.
Unexceptionally, all of the cameras were out of order. Don’t you think it is abnormal?
We asked the Security General Directorate and the Ministry under which circumstances the cameras are used to record?
They gave us the name of a Law.
As; ‘In the police stations cameras record under such and such circumstances’.
We could not find such a law and demanded them to give us a copy of this law.
They told us that this law was passed secretly, So they can not provide us a copy.
Can you imagine?! How a secret law can pass in a democratic country?
Further, how can laws can be hidden from a lawyer?
Justice belongs to the state, as well as the prosecutor, the judge
The police and the witness...
Who am I racing with in this case? Who am I walking with?
PVSK (Law of Police Powers) do not authorize the police officers to shoot directly.
It only authorizes them to fire the gun into the air.
Most of the police officers shoot via aiming directly to the target.
These are clearly recorded in the CCTV records and the experd reports
However the courts authorize the police officers to do something which was banned by the laws.
11-12 separate files were claimed against the father and sister of Baran Tursun
For insulting and threatening the police.
Files are being claimed against the families of Çaðdaþ Gemlik, Aytekin Arnavutoðlu, Baran Tursun and Emrah Barlak.
These files are aiming to face the families down, and they conclude so.
For example, Fevziye Cengiz Karabaðlar was tortured in a police station.
The images showing the torture were covered by the media. The ministry seized the visuals.
In the same case, we see that 4-5 police officers sued against Fevziye Cengiz.
When we were at a pavilion with my husband, they asked for our ID cards.
My husband went to the car to get the ID’s.
My handbag was in the car. They began to beat me there...
I couldn’t even tell them to wait, They took me under custody, beating.
They forced me to get into a car. And then there was more beating in the police station.
I am the one to be beaten, I am the one to be filed for 20 years in prison.
In the Anafartalar police station, Çanakkale, a father and his step-son was found death within a year...
Why would this family withdraw their case?
For what reason?
Ýbrahim Halil Çoban's da, in Urfa, lost his precious 17 year old son to the police violence.
Why would this family withdraw their case?
Why would the parents of Soner Çankal, go to the court
And say that they are withdrawing their case?
Why would they say that?
We are strong, we are the police, we can do anything.
You may be beaten but do not file a complaint. Or we will arrest you.
The police said “I would claim that you ripped off the button of my shirt,
insulted and beated, and you would end up in prison”.
These people are scared.
At the one side there is the officer and the police of the state,
On the other side there is the judge and the prosecutor of the state.
What will happen to us? What if we end up in prison for the rest of our lives?
We will get severely punished for ripping off the button of the police officer!
In the first trial, the camera records were not provided.
There were 35-40 police officers...
They tried to threaten us by pointing out Fevziye Cengiz.
I think It was the normal procedure in such cases.
Not a single judge or prosecutor asks “Why are you withdrawing your case?”
"Take it easy, let it go" they said.
You can read it in my confession in the court.
They told "You do not know who we are. We can take your wife from her bed in the middle of night”.
This enormous authority has to be taken back from the police.
This is a prerequisite, a must.
They are still doing their jobs, while our bond with life was cut off.
Baran Tursun case raised a significant public awareness.
Killing of an ordinary citizen, with no political ties
just because he did not obeyed the warning to stop while driving his jeep,
The family’s determined demand for justice,
And the efforts to build a public opinion, I think were important to make an impact on the judicial process.
If the judge and the prosecutor feels that
The society is watching carefully,
could not act arbitrarily.
They feel obliged to take fair and
Objective decisions.
If we had reacted against police violence the way the Greek’s reacted;
The police could not shoot another man in two days.
In this case the lawyers refused to defend the police who made the killing.
God save the public opinion!
I believe the society will make a change at the end.
Public opinion and regulation of the system of justice via various networks...
Is a form of public opposition;
In many countries including the USA,
For example in the Europe, this regulation system works.
I believe that, the rise of public opposition in Turkey,
will solve this problem.
If his country will become democratic some day,
I believe that it will be through public opposition.
I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister.
I wrote “There are no laws and no justice.
They killed my child in the detention room of Gümüþpala police station.
No file was suited, nothing...”
The Prime Minister replied:
"What was necessary was already done. But we can help the family about unemployment".
The problems are severe but it doesn’t mean that we are powerless.
On the contrary, showing that the problems are severe,
Is the best way to solve them.
We organize rallies and other campaigns. We try to raise our voice.
In other words we try to make an impact over them.
But we need people to defend us in the parliament,
Such as Sabahat Tuncel...
But these days they even call Sabahat Tuncel a transvestite in the parliament.
They are insulting her. Why?
Because of her continuous interpellations about our cases.
If these people were not there, no one would even hear our voices.
They do not care. They call them PKK members but I do not believe.
These are people defending our rights as well as theirs.
There is also a parliament member from the Republican People’s Party defending our rights.
These are the only people defending us and making them move backwards.
Otherwise they would kill us.
They will not let us go to the streets.
We were talking about the millennium. What millennium? There was none for us.
We though that it will get better by time, but we were wrong.
The police stations got better and the violence shifted to the streets. It got even worse.
It is a habit, thus it does not change.
The system must be blended and changed.
It must be underlined that the times have changed
And now the individual is more important than the state
The state fulfils their responsibilities as long as it makes the individuals happier.
This must be understood as the new system.
This change in vision is not a day’s work.
It is a long and hard marathon.
And this marathon requires hard work.
The institution itself can not do this transformation.
It must be made from outside, via universities, workers unions. The society itself must do the change.
The NGO’s will do it… It will happen any way.
But I can not, I will not give up… Till the day I die.
He will pay for it...
There always was a revolt. Insubordination, not keeping silent,
to keep revolting....
rejection, insistence, persistence, struggle,
And forcing the power elites to accept things and take steps backward.
This process was never self-inflicted.
It requires an effort, struggle, sacrifice all among the world, as well as Turkey.
Step by step it will happen. By sacrifices and endeavor.
As a family, we are exhausted but we will keep going on...
No quail! No matter how tired we get, we will never say that we were beaten up.
We will always try and stay strong.
Two months after we finished the documentary,
the rallies started with Gezi Park had spread all around the country.
Because of the police interference to the rallies started at May 31,
Mehmet Ayvalitas, Abdullah Comert, Ethem Sarisuluk Ali Ismail Korkmaz and Ahmet Atakan died.
Medeni Yýldýrým was killed at the protest against establishing a station at Lice.
During Gezi Park protests, 12 people had lost their eyes.
And thousands of people had injured.
Many of the responsible police officers of those issues couldn’t be identified.
Even though the police officer who shot Ethem Sarisuluk is identified,
he released to be judged as pending.
Arrests and custodies still continues
against to the people who marched in the streets
against the Police violence and for their freedom.
But people do not step back.
Democracy Forums started to be held in many parks all around the country.
Rallies against restraint, custody and arrests continues as always.
The King might try but can not shorten anybodies' shadow. Ursula Le Guin, Left Hand of the Darkness