The new Turkey Amnesty says has 'credible evidence' of torture of Turkey coup detainees
24-mar-19
i24NEWS Latest Revision 24 July 2016, 20:49
Amnesty claims detainees are being subjected to beatings, torture, and rape.
Amnesty International on Sunday claimed to have gathered 'credible evidence' of abuse and torture of Turkish soldiers detained in connection with the attempted coup in Turkey last week, and demanded that independent monitors be given access to detention facilities.
"Amnesty International has gathered credible evidence that detainees in Turkey are being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centers in the country," the London-based human rights organization wrote on its website.
Amnesty claimed to have reports that detainees held by Turkish police in Ankara and Istanbul were denied food, water, and medical treatment, were being held in "stress positions" for up to 48 hours, and had been in some cases subjected to threats, physical and verbal abuse, and even rape.
"Reports of abuse including beatings and rape in detention are extremely alarming, especially given the scale of detentions that we have seen in the past week. The grim details that we have documented are just a snapshot of the abuses that might be happening in places of detention," Amnesty International’s Europe director John Dalhuisen said.
Since the July 15 coup attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has detained over 13,000 people it suspects are state enemies, mainly soldiers but also police, judges, teachers and civil servants.
A detained Turkish soldier who allegedly took part in a military coup arrives with his hands bound at the Istanbul Justice Palace
Using new emergency powers, Erdogan's cabinet on Saturday decreed that police could now hold suspects for one month without charge.
"It is absolutely imperative that the Turkish authorities halt these abhorrent practices and allow international monitors to visit all these detainees in the places they are being held," Dalhuisen said.
Amnesty said it had gathered testimony that many detainees were being held in unofficial locations, including sports centers and even a horse stable.
"The organization heard extremely alarming accounts of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, particularly at the Ankara Police Headquarters sports hall, Ankara Başkent sports hall and the riding club stables there," Amnesty claimed.
Senior and high-ranking military officers are reported to be subjected to the worst treatment.
Amnesty says it had gathered testimony from two lawyers in Ankara who said that had "witnessed senior military officers in detention being raped with a truncheon or finger by police officers."
The NGO further accused Turkey of denying medical treatment, food, and water to detainees.
Persons suspected of participating in a coup against the Turkish government are taken into custody in Istanbul
Amnesty slammed the government for failing to condemn the ill-treatment of detainees.
"Despite chilling images and videos of torture that have been widely broadcast across the country, the government has remained conspicuously silent on the abuse," Dalhuisen said. "Failing to condemn ill-treatment or torture in these circumstances is tantamount to condoning it."
Erdogan has rejected European criticism of his iron-fisted response to the coup, charging that "they are biased, they are prejudiced, and they will continue to act in this prejudiced manner towards Turkey."
Ankara has insisted that the measures would not add up to an attack on democracy, arguing that they were no different to those France had taken after a series of bloody jihadist attacks.
Amid the global criticism, Turkey for the first time since the coup released a large group of detainees, 1,200 low-ranking soldiers, saying it wanted to swiftly sort out those who had fired on the people from those who had not.
