Students detained after protests that erupted after the March arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu have accused the police of beatings, harassment and denial of food and medical care while in custody, the Media and Law Association reported.
The allegations were made during a hearing on Friday at the İstanbul 70th Criminal Court of First Instance, where 49 people are standing trial for allegedly participating in an unlawful assembly during a March 25 demonstration in the Saraçhane district.
Several students told the court they were violently detained, beaten in police vehicles and subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation.
“We were pushed to the ground, kicked and dragged,” one student said in their testimony. “In the police car, they continued hitting us and swearing.”
Others described harassment and humiliation while in detention.
“Some of our female friends were harassed while in custody,” one woman told the court. “We were terrified and couldn’t sleep for four nights.”
Several students said they were held at the Vatan Police Station in İstanbul for four days without food and medication and in unsanitary conditions.
“They didn’t give us food for four days. We were denied the medicine we needed,” another student said.
Defense lawyers said the detainees were subjected to beatings, insults and psychological pressure. They added that police withheld medication from several detainees who depended on it for chronic illnesses.
“My client’s condition could have become life-threatening,” one lawyer told the court. “Despite repeated requests, police refused to allow him to take his prescribed drugs.
A high school student said he was hit in the eye by a gas canister during the police intervention and was refused medical attention while in custody.
“I kept asking for treatment, but they ignored me,” he said. “Even now, I can’t see properly from one eye.”
Lawyers for the defense accused police of systematic abuse and demanded an investigation into all officers stationed at the Vatan station between March 19 and 31.
Attorney Ozan Kayaoğlu, who represents the injured student, said those responsible for the alleged abuse should be investigated.
The court adjourned the hearing after hearing the students’ testimonies. Defense attorneys said they plan to submit formal complaints to prosecutors and international human rights organizations.
İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and a leading figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained on March 19 and arrested days later on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated, with his arrest sparking Turkey’s worst protests in a decade. Since he is still behind bars, his mayoral duties are currently being performed by a deputy.
Opponents and international observers view the legal action against İmamoğlu, seen as the main political threat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule, as politically motivated, aimed at sidelining a major rival and signaling tougher control over the opposition ahead of future elections.
