Turkish prosecutors seek up to 9 years in jail for woman battered by police over 'improper mask use'

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Istanbul prosecutors are seeking up to nine years and four months in jail for a young woman who was in August battered and detained by the police for improper mask use.

The prosecutors on the other hand dropped the charges against the police officers in question.

The case concerns the violent detention of Rana Batı on Aug. 19 in Istanbul's Kadıköy district for “not wearing her mask properly.” The footage of the incident showed two officers dragging and battering Batı, while those nearby as well as Batı's friend Zeynep K. shouted for them to let her go. One of the officers was seen to be not wearing his mask properly.

Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office submitted an indictment regarding the incident to the court, in which it demanded up to nine years and four months in prison for Batı on charges of “resisting public officials for them not to conduct their duties” and “insulting public officials.” The prosecutors also sought up to four years and one month in prison for Zeynep K. on charges of “insulting public officials.”

The indictment said that the two police were at the scene of the incident to conduct inspections for mask usage. It said that the police officers warned Batı to wear her mask in a “right way,” to which Batı allegedly replied by insulting them.

Theindictment said that police officers wanted to take Batı to thepolice station to file a complaint against her, and the young womanresisted against this “in a violent way.”

The indictment also justified the police officers' physical violence upon Batı saying that this was “to prevent the attack of” the young woman and took place “within the limits of the right to use force.”