A press conference was held by the Istanbul Branch of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) about the torture of prisoners in Kocaeli No. 2 F Type Closed Prison.

The meeting saw the participation of many lawyers and was held at the association branch in Beyoğlu. ÖHD member Berivan Bekçi said that the guards behaved in a way incompatible with human dignity during the ward search. She added that the chief guard who participated in the search provoked the prisoners.

Berivan Bekçi said: "The chief guard told the prisoners, 'You are hurting me, you wrote my last name wrong in your petitions, you will call me T. Başkan'."

Bekçi added: "It was reported that after the search, prisoners M. A., M. D. and Adem Dinç were taken to another cell, and half an hour later, prisoner Adem Dinç was told to 'pack his belongings' and taken to his old cell. While Adem Dinç was packing his belongings, the chief guard threatened him and then two guards grabbed Dinç's arms, while another guard squeezed his throat. This time, the chief guard hit Adem Dinç in the face three more times. It was reported that due to these blows, the area around Adem Dinç's right eye was swollen and blood accumulated in his eye."

Continuous strip-searching reported

Berivan Bekçi also said that prisoner Adem Dinç requested a report of assault but was not given one and that she filed a criminal complaint against the guards.

Stating that Mehmet Şirin Tekmenüray, another prisoner, was strip-searched, Berivan Bekçi said that he too was tortured. Bekçi added that Tekmenüray was not given a report of assault despite requesting one, and added: "Despite writing a petition to the prison administration 3 times, no response was given. This situation is against international agreements and domestic law."