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to the mortuary, where he noticed that the body was covered with bruises
indicative of severe beatings and that the scar around his neck was very thin,
suggesting that it had been made by a cord rather than by a twisted bed sheet.
695. The Government stated that Cihan Akkum had committed suicide
on 29 August 1994 at the Anti-Terror branch of the Diyarbakir headquarters.
An autopsy had revealed bruises in the jaw and arms and a public case was
commenced in the criminal court against three policemen who carried out his
interrogation, with the charge of ill-treatment. Their trial was under way.
696. Hayriye Gündüz (female) was awaiting trial at Istanbul State Court No. 3
with 11 other prisoners for membership in the illegal organization
Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary Left) on 10 October 1994. The prisoners, having
been searched once, refused to undergo a second search before entering the
courtroom. Consequently, gendarmes allegedly attacked the handcuffed
prisoners with truncheons and beat them for around eight minutes in a court
corridor. They were then dragged into a yard and allegedly kicked and punched
by plain-clothes police and members of the Mobile Force. Hayriye Gündüz
suffered various injuries, including two wounds requiring sutures, which were
reported in a medical certificate issued by the State Forensic Medicine
Institute.
697. According to the Government, a preliminary investigation on the case had
been undertaken by the Istanbul office of the chief public prosecutor, but
because it was determined to be outside the subject-matter jurisdiction of
that office, the case was referred to the Istanbul governorate on 6 July 1995
for further investigation. A medical report issued by the Forensic Medicine
Institute of Eyüp district showed that she had sustained injuries and was not
able to conduct her daily activities for 15 days.
698. Abdullah Baskin was detained on 23 July 1994 with 14 other villagers from
Gümüs
¸görgü in the Kozluk district of Batman province by soldiers from Batman
regimental gendarmerie headquarters, reportedly for their refusal to
participate as village guards. Abdullah Baskin was allegedly suspended by
the wrists tied behind his back, continually beaten, and subjected to electric
shocks. On 4 August he was taken to Batman State Hospital, where he died from
his injuries. Although the permit for his burial stated that he had died in
"suspicious circumstances", no judicial investigation was apparently conducted
into his death.
699. Vehbiye Tüzün (female), a journalist for the newspaper Özgür Ülke
detained on 2 October 1994, was reportedly held for 12 days’ incommunicado
detention at Diyarbakir gendarmerie headquarters. She was allegedly
blindfolded, subjected to electric shocks to her sexual organs, suspended with
her arms at the back, sprayed with cold water under pressure and subjected to
threats of rape and death. Although examined by a doctor, she remained silent
about the torture after being warned by her interrogators that she would be
held for the maximum period if she revealed any information. She was
subsequently blindfolded and allegedly forced to sign a paper, which she later
learned was a "confession" that she had been working for the PKK. A medical
certificate described symptoms as consistent with her allegations of torture.
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