In Yahya neighborhood of Erzurum’s Karayazı district, at 04.30 on Friday, September 8, over a thousand soldiers and police conducted a raid with 70 armored vehicles. The neighborhood was blockaded and over 40 homes were searched, including that of Mehmet Göksu and his son Ahmet Göksu.

First, special operations units raided Mehmet Göksu’s (80) home and his son Ahmet Göksu’s (50) home right next door. Göksu’s daughter Eda Göksu (22) said the following on the raid: “They knocked, my father went to answer the door. First they knocked once. Then they hit the door with the sledgehammer. My father said, ‘Let the women inside put their clothes on and I will open.’ As soon as the door was open, they pushed my father to the ground. They put a gun to his head and stepped on his neck with their boots. Then they pushed D. (14) against the wall and put a gun to his head. My mother has cancer, and she was very disturbed. The back door was locked. She was putting her clothes on, because she is sick. They kicked the door open. It was a wooden door. We were five women in the other room at the time, and there was a 4 years old child with us. We were not dressed properly. They put guns to all our heads and they told us to crouch down against the wall. We were not dressed properly. Then they took us downstairs one by one and sent the women and children to my grandfather’s house.”

“YOU HAVE TWO HOURS”

Göksu said when they were taken to her grandfather’s house, their father who was taken there before them was taken back to their own house: “They had taken my father out before us. When we were taken to my grandfather’s, they took my father back from my grandfather’s to our home. We went down. Ten minutes later, we heard my father shouting.” Göksu said a soldier who she thinks is a commander came to them while they were in her grandfather’s house: “We were in my grandfather’s house. I think it was a commander, a soldier came and said, ‘They are using your honor, they are playing with your pride.’ I told him that nobody can dare do that, nobody can play with our honor and pride. Then somebody else came in, he was also wearing a black mask. He put me in the kitchen and shut the door. He leaned against the door. He asked me where ‘they’ are. I said I didn’t know what he was talking about, then he said, ‘You know you have two hours.’ I asked him what for, and he said, ‘I will burn down your house’ and tried to take my necklace from me. I hit his hand and told him not to touch me. He took the necklace, and said, ‘What is this?’ I asked him if there was something wrong with the necklace. He said, ‘There is something wrong with your brain. You have two hours, we will shoot you all.’ He knew I was studying. He threatened me, said ‘We will cut off your scholarship. We will end your education.’ Then he let me go.”

Göksu said she later saw her father being dragged about outside of their house and that her father was holding his stomach while he was walking.

“THEY BATTERED MY 80-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER”

D. Göksu (14) said his father was beaten with sticks and continued: “When they first came to the house we opened the door. They pushed us on the floor as soon as we opened. Women were undressed, they didn’t let us get dressed. They told us, ‘We are going to kill you in there, we will burn your house down.’ Then the digger came, they were going to demolish our home. My grandfather was about to pray when they came, they told him they would break his teeth and they stepped on his prayer rug with their boots. My father was there too. Then they took my father away alone. Ten minutes later they took me. I heard my father. I said I wanted to see my father and I went inside.”

“MY FATHER WAS HIT ON HIS STOMACH AND HEAD WTH STICKS”

D. said the following on what he saw when he was being taken to his father: “There were 25, 30 men inside the home, all wearing ski masks. One of them had long greying hair, one of them was old and overweight. I went inside. I heard my father, they were beating him. They pushed me and put a gun to my head. My father’s head was covered in blood. There was a stick. They were hitting him on the head and stomach.”

TORTURE DOCUMENTED IN HOSPITAL

Ahmet Göksu was given a preliminary doctor’s report in the Karayazı Public Hospital that documents the marks of torture. The report said the following: “Bruise under left eye, size: 2x2 cm. Edema consistent with trauma on the left frontal region, several lesions. Several lesions on the left ear. Widespread bruising on left and right face gash. During the examination the patient reported hearing loss in his left ear. Scratch on the lower left scapula. Arm trauma. Nausea. Patient should be referred to the next center for tests and treatment for the arm trauma, nausea and vomiting and hearing loss. There may be a risk to his life.”

NOT GIVEN WATER IN CUSTODY

Mehmet Göksu (80) and Ahmet Göksu were put in armored vehicles. Mehmet Göksu was taken to the Gölbaşı Police Station and Ahmet Göksu was taken to the Yenişehir Police Station. The father and son are to be referred to the courthouse on Monday or Tuesday.

Meanwhile the lawyers said Ahmet Göksu was subjected to torture under custody and was not given any water. He was given water after blood came out in his urine and his lawyers intervened.