Turkish man badly beaten at Turkish consulate in Rotterdam

A Turkish man living in the Netherlands filed a criminal complaint claiming that he was badly beaten and tear gassed by the security personnel of the Turkish Consulate General in Rotterdam, according to a report by BBC Turkish on Saturday.

Erdal Akbaba, a Turkish businessman living in The Hague, was given a doctor’s note for 18 days off work and was told that he had narrowly avoided losing his sight because of the tear gas.

Akbaba went to the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam 41 days ago with his family to register his newborn daughter; however, the registration could not be completed due to a technical problem.

Akbaba and his family went to the consulate for a second time a week later, but after waiting for four hours, he was told that the computer system was not working. He wanted to retrieve the documents he had submitted, but the consular officer refused to return them to him. The officer called the security personnel after the argument with Akbaba became heated.

According to Akbaba, four security personnel aimed tear gas into his eyes and started beating him after he asked them to speak more politely. Akbaba added that other people at the consulate witnessed the incident and said his wife had to call the police. The Rotterdam Police told BBC Turkish that the eyewitnesses confirmed Akbaba’s account of events. (Ahval)

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