Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation after a 19-year-old man alleged he was beaten and sexually assaulted by police officers while in custody at a police station in Istanbul, the Aktifhaber news website reported.
The Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it had launched the inquiry the same day the allegations surfaced, stating that judicial authorities are collecting evidence and examining claims that the 19-year-old was subjected to ill treatment while he was in police custody.
“The judicial process regarding the allegations is being conducted with due care, and all necessary examination, investigation and evidence collection activities are ongoing,” the statement said.
The allegations were made by a 19-year-old identified only by the initials M.A.E.Ş., who said he was detained by police on March 3 in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district on suspicion of drug trafficking.
According to his complaint to prosecutors, officers stopped the car in which he was traveling with a friend, searched him and later took him to a local police station. He said police accused him of selling drugs, examined messages on his phone.
The teenager said no drugs or other illegal items were found in the car or at his home.
In his statement to prosecutors, M.A.E.Ş. alleged that several officers assaulted him during his detention and again inside the police station, where he said he was handcuffed and beaten for hours.
He told investigators that officers punched and slapped him, inflicting injuries to his face and shoulder.
M.A.E.Ş. also alleged that officers attempted to sexually assault him by inserting a bottle into his anus while other officers watched.
“They tried to force a one-liter cola bottle into my anal area,” he said in the complaint, adding that soap was poured on him before the attempt.
He also said police pressured him to sign a written statement claiming he had been injured in a fight before arriving at the station.
M.A.E.Ş. said his lawyer was not allowed to see him for several hours while the interrogation was ongoing. The lawyer later said he observed signs of violence when he was finally allowed to meet with his client.
He was later released from police custody.
