Turkish court sentences police officers to prison for assaulting 14-year-old during Newroz

Duvar English

The Lice Criminal Court on June 5 sentenced five police officers to eight years in prison for assaulting and mistreating 14-year-old Y.D. during the Newrox celebrations of 2023 in the southeastern Diyarbakır province.  

At the hearing, Diyarbakır Bar Association President Nahit Eren, the plaintiff Y.D., and the defense attorneys of the officers were present, according to reporting by ANKA.

The court sentenced each officer to eight years for "deprivation of liberty" and imposed an additional judicial fine of 4,500 lira for "property damage."

Bar Association President Nahit Eren expressed satisfaction with the court's decision but held that the officers should have been charged with torture. 

In a social media post, Eren wrote, "As we have maintained from the beginning, the actions of the law enforcement officers constitute clear acts of torture, and they should be punished for torture. As the Diyarbakır Bar Association, we will continue to follow this case."

Y.D. was returning home from the Newroz celebrations at the Lice district of Diyarbakır province on March 21, 2023, when he was taken to an armored police vehicle and battered by five police officers inside. 

He pressed charges against the officers, saying he was tied up, forced to curse, threatened with his life, and left on a river bed. 

The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office had announced that the officers were suspended in line with the incident investigation.