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Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   29 March 2024

Human Rights Watch concerned over cases of torture in Turkey

Human Rights Watch concerned over cases of torture in Turkey

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on October 25, reports “Armenpress”.

The 43-page report, “A Blank Check: Turkey’s Post-Coup Suspension of Safeguards Against Torture,” documents how the weakening of safeguards through decrees adopted under the state of emergency has negatively affected police detention conditions and the rights of detainees. It details 13 cases of alleged abuse, including stress positions, sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse, and rape threats, since the coup attempt.

“Turkey’s government should reinstate the crucial safeguards against torture now”, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch Hugh Williamson said.

Human Rights Watch said the state of emergency does not give the government carte blanche to suspend rights. The prohibition of torture in international law is absolute and cannot be suspended even in times of war or national emergency. Yet the emergency decrees remove crucial safeguards that protect detainees from ill-treatment and torture.

The emergency decrees extend the maximum length of police detention without judicial review from four to 30 days, deny detainees access to lawyers for up to five days, and restrict detainees’ choice of lawyer and their right to confidential conversations with their lawyers, the report said stating that these rules have been violated in Turkey.

“It would be tragic if two hastily passed emergency decrees end up undermining the progress Turkey made to combat torture,” Williamson said. “The authorities should immediately rescind the most damaging provisions and investigate compelling allegations of torture and ill-treatment in police custody and any other place of detention.”

 








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