New footage shows torture of Gezi prisoner Kahraman who suffers from MS

Duvar English

New footage has been revealed showing the moments of Gezi Park prisoner Tayfun Kahraman being subjected to torture on his transfer from prison to hospital, Murat Sabuncu reported in his column on the online news outlet T24 on Dec. 20.

The torture was previously announced by Kahraman’s wife Meriç Demir Kahraman in late August, who said the security officers deliberately tightened Kahraman’s handcuffs which led to bruising on his wrist, as Kahraman also suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 

The footage depicts Kahraman feeling faint in the vehicle under the summer heat.

In their petition, Kahraman’s lawyer said the security offices did not initially loosen his handcuffs despite the request. “The client was taken out of the penal institution and continued on the road with handcuffs tightening his wrists until they took a break (approximately 25 minutes). During the break at the gas station, he showed the (bruises) on his wrists, and the gendarmerie officer loosened the handcuffs.”

Then, the officers did not leave the doctor’s examination room despite it being against the law. The doctor filed a report on the bruises on Kahraman’s wrists and the existence of security officers during the medical examination.

Moreover, Kahraman was kept in an unventilated vehicle in the summer heat on their ride back to prison as the footage shows Kahraman feeling faint. 

“As it is known, the client, who suffers from MS, should have been kept in comfortable physical conditions, without starvation, stress, or pressure due to this disease that directly affects the nervous and muscular system, but he was treated in the opposite way and kept in handcuffs in a vehicle without ventilation in the August heat for a long time,” the lawyer said.

While Silivri and Bakırköy chief public prosecutor's offices launched a judicial and administrative investigation into the torture in late August, Silivri District Governor’s Office did not allow the investigation to proceed against the officials on the grounds that they “acted within the framework of the powers granted by the law and legislation”

Academic and urban planner Tayfun Kahraman received an 18-year prison sentence on the alleged charge of "attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey," during the 2013 nationwide anti-government Gezi Park protests.

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