One in critical condition, another suffers from memory loss due to police torture in Turkey's east

Duvar English

A man who was detained by Turkish police in the eastern province of Van was hospitalized and suffers from memory loss due to police torture, while another one remains in critical condition.

The two men detained in Van's Çatak district during an anti-terror operation were allegedly thrown from a helicopter by police, Mesopotamia Agency reported on Sept. 17.

One of those detained, 55-year-old Servet Turgut, is in critical condition and has been receiving treatment at a hospital.

No information could be obtained on the whereabouts of 50-year-old Osman Şiban and Turgut for two days following their detention. Their families were then able to locate them at a hospital in Van on Sept. 11.

Şiban was seen to be badly injured and suffers from memory loss due to police torture. He wasn't able to tell reporters the events that unfolded.

Int'l anti-torture committee slams prison conditions, police ill-treatment in Turkey

According to hospital records, Turgut was brought to the hospital for "falling from a high place," adding to the allegations that the two men were thrown from a helicopter.

Commenting on the incident, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Murat Sarısaç said that the two men were put on a helicopter after being detained and that witnesses reported that they were thrown from a helicopter.

"Whether they were thrown from a helicopter or not, the reality is that they were subjected to torture so much so that they lost consciousness and were put in intensive care," Sarısaç said.

He also submitted a parliamentary question to shed light on the incident.

#Şırnak/Beytüşşebap’ta iki yurttaşın helikopterle kaçırılarak askerlerce işkence yapılmasını #Meclis gündemine taşıdık.

Yaşanan olay vahimdir, sıradan bir olay değildir. Çünkü yaşananlar artık 90’lı yılları da aşmış durumda. Buna karşı siyasi refleks gösterilmeli. pic.twitter.com/sqw82Z7xDr

— Murat Sarısaç (@muratsarisac) September 17, 2020