The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a new trial in the case of Eyüp Birinci, a former teacher who endured severe torture in police custody resulting in critical injuries, the T24 news website reported.
Birinci fainted from the torture during his detention and was taken to a hospital where it was determined that he was experiencing internal bleeding. According to his family, Birinci’s colon was ruptured from torture inflicted with a police baton.
Birinci was dismissed from his job by a government decree, following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and later sentenced to over eight years in prison on alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the 2013 corruption investigations which implicated then-prime minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following the abortive putsch in July 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2021 that Birinci was tortured and sexually assaulted in detention and his rights violated, awarding him TL 40,000 ($1,240) in damages. The court also found the initial investigation into Birinci’s claims to have been inadequate and a violation of his rights. The court noted that the initial probe did not consider various medical reports, failed to review security camera footage and did not interview key witnesses. As a result, the court mandated a more comprehensive investigation.
In compliance with the high court’s ruling, the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has now filed charges against four individuals. Two police officers, identified only as M.T. and H.K., are accused of torture, while a doctor, F.Y., and another police officer, S.K., face charges of negligent conduct in relation to torture.
The charges details Birinci’s allegations, including claims of severe physical abuse and threats made against him while in custody. According to the charges, Birinci was detained and taken to the Antalya Police Department’s Organized Crime Division, where he alleges, he was systematically tortured by officers M.T. and H.K. to extract a confession. The indictment further claims that despite evident signs of physical abuse, Dr. F.Y. issued reports stating that Birinci had not been subjected to any harm. Police officer S.K. is accused of failing to report the abuse despite being aware of it.
Asuman Birinci, his wife, was also recently arrested in Antalya on alleged links to the Gülen movement, adding to the family’s persecution.
After the abortive putsch in 2016, ill-treatment and torture became widespread and systematic in Turkish detention centers. Lack of condemnation from higher officials and a readiness to cover up allegations rather than investigate them have resulted in widespread impunity for the security forces.
