Turkey’s security forces torture earthquake victims with impunity – HRW
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish security officials beat and tortured earthquake victims as a state of emergency was imposed on the region, human rights groups said on Wednesday. At least one person died in police custody.
According to a joint investigation by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), at least 13 cases of police violence involving 34 victims were recorded in quake-affected regions, 12 of whom were tortured, and two of whom were threatened at gunpoint. HRW said they were privy to more cases of police violence in the aftermath of the earthquake, but could not corroborate all cases.
The report said the government-imposed state of emergency in the ten affected provinces has created a lawless environment, where security forces were free to exert violence without consequences. According to one victim interviewed for the report, a police superintendent he complained to told him, “there’s a state of emergency here. Even if that officer kills you, he won’t be held accountable. No one would be able to say anything to him.”
Another victim interviewed by al-Monitor said that the state of emergency “serves as further cover for lawlessness among security officials who are confident they won’t face the consequences.” Torture and police ill treatment in custody have risen sharply since the failed coup attempt in 2016, al-Monitor reports.
Security officials have accused their victims of wrong-doing, but the HRW added that in only two cases they recorded there has been an official investigation into the victims for alleged crimes.
The state-sponsored violence seems to disproportionally target minorities. In a third of the cases outlined by the HRW, the victims were Syrian refugees and the attacks “bore signs of an additional xenophobic motivation.”
Violence against Syrians is commonplace in Turkey. A nine-year-old Syrian girl was killed in the southern city of Kilis this week.
In at least two cases recorded by the HRW, the victims were Kurds and seemingly targeted for that reason, including five Kurdish volunteers who had travelled to Adiyaman to help in rescue efforts before they were arrested and beaten by Turkish gendarmes.
Violence against Kurds has always been widespread in Turkey, including by state security forces. Last month, a football team from the southeastern city of Diyarbakir was attacked by opposing fans in the city of Bursa.