Turkey apologises for activist's death while in custody

15/10/2008

Turkey's justice minister said on Tuesday he had suspended 19 prison employees following the death of a leftist activist allegedly tortured while in detention.

(The Guardian, Zaman - 15/10/08; AP, Reuters, DPA, BBC, Hurriyet - 14/10/08; Amnesty International - 10/10/08)

Turkish Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said the government suspended 19 officials in connection with last week’s beating death of Engin Ceber.

In an unprecedented move, Turkey's justice minister apologised on Tuesday (October 14th) for the recent death of a political activist whom authorities allegedly tortured after his arrest. The minister said he had suspended 19 prison employees so far.

Engin Ceber, 29, was among four leftists arrested in Istanbul on September 28th while protesting the authorities' failure to punish police officers who shot and subsequently paralysed 17-year-old vendor Ferhat Gercek a year ago.

Ceber died Saturday night in hospital from a brain hemorrhage. Human rights groups said police and prison employees repeatedly beat him.

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin suggested on Tuesday that an ongoing investigation confirmed the allegations that Ceber had suffered "ill treatment" during detention.

"I am apologising to his family and relatives on behalf of my government and the state," Sahin said in Ankara. "We will continue efforts to find everyone responsible."

As the investigation widens, more suspensions of employees might be forthcoming, Sahin added, voicing regret that a new torture incident has damaged the country's reputation.

But Ceber's father said the apology would not bring back his son and insisted that all those responsible for his death must face justice.

"I want those who killed Engin to be punished as soon as possible," Turkey's English-language daily Zaman quoted Ali Ceber as saying. "Suspending state security employees will not solve anything. They will return to their positions soon."

Amid strong criticism from human rights groups and under pressure from the EU, which Turkey hopes to join one day, Ankara announced a policy of "zero tolerance" towards torture and abuse several years ago.

Citing data released recently by Turkey's Human Rights Association, Zaman reports the number of complaints dropped from 1,202 in 2003 to 678 last year.

Rights groups insist, however, Turkey must do much more.

"The death of Engin Ceber is further proof that torture and ill-treatment are rife in places of detention in Turkey," Amnesty International said on Saturday. Turkish rights groups praised Sahin for taking quick action against the suspected offenders.

"I believe the decision to suspend the officials accused of torturing Ceber will revive hopes that the government will make a new start in realising its pledges," said Omer Faruk Gergenlioglu, head of the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples.

Lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People's Party have pushed the issue onto the parliament's agenda and have demanded Interior Minister Besir Atalay's resignation.

This content was commissioned for SETimes.com