Two men detained in connection with a shooting incident in İstanbul say they were subjected to police abuse and coercion while in custody, the Mezopotamya news agency reported on Friday.
A.K. and B.T. claim they were handcuffed with their hands behind their back and with their feet secured while they were beaten by officers at the Şehit Mustafa Tercan Police Station in İstanbul’s Sultangazi district. A.K. said bones in his right hand were dislocated during the beating and he later obtained a medical report documenting the injury.
Hebun Hakan Akkaya, the attorney representing both individuals, described the treatment as “inhumane” and said one of his clients had claimed that the beatings were even video recorded by the chief of the police station. However, Akkaya said, “The medical reports proving the assaults are missing from the official case file. … This raises serious concerns about evidence tampering and attempts to cover up the abuse.”
A.K. and B.T. were reportedly forced to sign a statement without reading it and were denied access to legal representation during questioning.
Akkaya said the men were told they would be released after giving a statement but were instead held without a formal arrest warrant. He claimed police repeatedly blocked his attempts to speak with his clients and cited bureaucratic delays to justify the extended detention.
The lawyer added that when he was finally allowed to meet his clients at the courthouse, they were visibly injured and detailed the treatment they had endured. Akkaya said he has filed complaints accusing officers of illegal detention, obstruction of counsel and abuse of power.
A.K. and B.T. were detained on December 17 following a December 9 shooting that targeted two automotive businesses, Eyüp Otomotiv and Güvenler Otomotiv. Both men denied involvement and said they were initially called in as witnesses before being reclassified as suspects during questioning.
Prosecutors have charged them with “menacing,” “property damage,” and violations of Turkey’s firearms law.
Human rights groups say police violence has become part of daily life in Turkey with hundreds filing complaints of torture and mistreatment every year.
