No indictment has been prepared so far in the case of Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban who were thrown off a helicopter by Turkish soldiers in 2020. Although 21 months have passed since the incident, there has been no single development in the case.
55-year-old Servet Turgut and 51-year-old Osman Şiban were detained on September 11, 2020, during field work by soldiers from a Turkish operations unit in the countryside of Çatak district in Van province. After severe torture, both villagers were pushed out of a military helicopter and they suffered serious injuries. While Turgut lost his life after 22 days in intensive care, Osman Şiban was treated in a hospital for a long time.
Despite the fact that an investigation has been launched into the incident, no indictment has been prepared yet.
According to Hamit Koçak, one of the lawyers dealing with the case, the lack of an indictment after 21 months reveals that political motives manipulate the case.
Koçak pointed to a “huge neglect” concerning the case, noting that the confidentiality order on the file has not been lifted yet. He remarked that their applications to clarify the issue have all been rejected hastily.
“Our access to the file is blocked due to the confidentiality order. We do not believe that justice will be served in this case. Following our applications and meetings, we realized that the state authorities refrain from doing anything regarding this file. The prosecution should immediately abandon this stance,” the lawyer said.
In December 2021, Osman Şiban was accused of being a member of the PKK. The chief public prosecutor's office in Van accuses the 51-year-old, based on "relevant intelligence information", of being a "member of an armed terrorist organisation" and, as such, of having provided "logistical support". If Şiban is convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison under Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code.
