Prosecution finds no evidence. Speaking of torture supposedly an organisational attitude.

Gülmen and Özakça’s allegation of ill-treatment under arrest ends in a decision to discontinue the proceedings.

cumhuriyet.com.tr

Alican Uludağ
 
A decision has been taken to discontinue the proceedings in response to the crime report alleging that they suffered violence under arrest filed by Academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça, who were arrested thanks to the hunger strike they were staging in front of the Human Rights Memorial in a bid to return to their jobs. It was argued in the decision that there was no other evidence apart from Özakça and Gülmen’s own allegations that they, having displayed resistance during procedures that there was a legislative duty to conduct, suffered ill-treatment outside the powers granted by the Law on the Duties and Powers of the Police number 2559 for the time they were under arrest. It was alleged in the defence by the Ankara Police Directorate annexed to the decision that the two individuals ‘displayed resistance by adopting an organisational attitude.’ The police said the following in the said defence:
‘Making known that the suspect Nuriye Gülmen displayed resistance during procedures that there was a legislative duty to conduct and the said procedures were conducted with the use of corporal force to an extent that overcame the person’s resistance and that in operations conducted against left-wing terrorist organisations, principally the DHKP/C, apprehended suspects adopt an organisational attitude and display resistance against the law enforcement forces, stage hunger strikes in detention suites and make allegations of having been tortured and, through unfounded allegations of this nature, attempt to defeat the purpose of successful operations, negatively affect the resolve of staff and uncover the precise identity particulars of the law enforcement force members on duty and so make them into targets for the organisation, the procedures they conducted complied with the law and legislation.’
 

‘We will make them hear a mother’s cry’

The police once more intervened against state of emergency victims who had gathered in front of the Human Rights Statue in Yüksel Street in support of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who were taken into detention whilst staging a hunger strike. Nazife Onay, Nazan Bozkurt and Erdoğan Canpolat, dismissed from their jobs under decrees with the force of law, unfurled placards reading, ‘We want our jobs back’ and shouted the slogan, ‘Nuriye and Semih are our honour.’ Police teams started to intervene before there was time to move on to a press statement. Nazife Onay was dragged by the police as far as Konur Street. Canpolat, making a statement at Konur Street, described the detaining of Gülmen and Özakça as ‘attempted murder’. Onay, for her part, said, ‘We will continue to be all over the city. Semih and Nuriye’s just demand is our demand. They are on permanent hunger strike. We are the ones who will make the AKP rulership, which does not hear the cries of a wife and a mother, hear this cry. For this reason, we will not withdraw from this space.’