Footage depicts new case of Turkish police brutality
ISTANBUL
Police officers detain a student in this file photo. DHA photo
Video footage has emerged showing at least eight uniformed policemen kicking and beating a civilian on the ground in front of his family, daily Milliyet reported on its website today.The beating reportedly took place at around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of June 19 after a man quarreled with a squad of policemen over right of way on a road.
A squad car cut off a civilian vehicle with a family in it, which sparked a quarrel between the vehicle's driver and police officers. Video recorded by a witness showed police officers hitting the civilian. Many policemen in uniform arrived at the scene soon and knocked the man to the ground. At least eight police officers were seen kicking the man on the ground despite his wife's pleas to stop. One officer also took off his belt and beat the man with it.
The policemen reportedly dragged the man to a dark spot and continued to beat him, while other policemen told witnesses and onlookers to go away. The man was later dragged to a squad car and beaten again before he was detained.
Shopkeepers in the neighborhood confirmed the incident, the report said, but were afraid to elaborate on it.
Interior ministry has assigned inspectors to look into the incident, CNNTürk reported.
Burcu Karakaş of daily Milliyet reported yesterday of a separate incident of police brutality in which a 24-year-old man suffered a brain hemorrhage after being beaten by plainclothes police officers on Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue.
The man was hospitalized for five days and was reported to be experiencing vision problems.
