Hakan Yaman, a 37 year-old father of two, was beaten by police near his home in the Sarıgazi district of Istanbul on 3 June.
At around 11pm Hakan Yaman was returning home after finishing work as a minibus driver. He parked his vehicle a couple of streets away from his house and proceeded to walk home. A demonstration was taking place on the nearby Demokrasi Avenue.
In his own words, this is what he told Amnesty International about what happened:
“I saw some riot police a few hundred meters away. I was first sprayed by water cannon. Then I was hit in the stomach with a tear gas canister and I fell down. Around five police officers came over and began hitting me repeatedly on around the head. One of them put a hard object into my eye and gauged the eye out. By then I was lying down, without moving. I heard one of them say ‘this one is finished, let’s completely finish him off’. They dragged me about 10 to 20 meters and threw me onto a fire. They left and I dragged myself out of the fire. I was then taken by some of the protestors to the hospital.”
According to the forensic medicine report Hakan Yaman sustained serious injuries to his head and face. His nose, his cheek bone, and the bones of his forehead and his chin were broken. He lost one eye completely and has lost 80 percent of his sight in the other eye. His skull was fractured from the top of his head all the way down to his jaw and his back sustained second degree burns from being thrown on the fire. He lost consciousness during the attack.
A witness saw what happened from their window and filmed part of the attack on their camera phone. In the video two riot police can be seen next to a water cannon vehicle, with around four others, dragging a man along the ground towards a fire.
Hakan Yaman has made a criminal complaint on grounds of attempted murder. In the beginning of September, three police officers made a statement to the prosecutor refuting the allegations that they beat Hakan Yaman. As of 11 September 2013, no arrests had yet been made.
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Hakan Yaman receives the medical treatment he needs.
Those responsible for the injuries caused on Hakan Yaman be identified through an effective, independent and impartial investigation and brought to justice in a fair trial.
Dear Minister:
Allow me to express my deep concern over the case of Hakan Yaman, who was seriously injured by the police as he was returning home to his house in Istanbul in June 2013. The authorities believed him to be taking part in a nearby demonstration.
Amnesty International considers the excessive use of force by the Turkish police to supress peaceful protests a clear breach of of the right to the freedom of association assembly as well as freedom of expression.
In the light of the above described, I respectfully urge you, Minister, to ensure that:
The case of Hakan Yaman be subject to a prompt, thorough and independent investigation;
and The perpetrators of the respective violations of human rights be brought to justice and face a fair trial.
In the spirit of respect for the basic values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity, I call on you, Minister, to uphold the right to freedom of association, assembly and speech in Turkey, as well as condemn and sanction the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Yours sincerely
