Much torture in Turkish prisons

This video says about itself:

‘I was tortured in Turkey‘ – BBC News

28 November 2016

The UN’s special investigator on torture has arrived in Turkey following allegations of rape and abuse by the country’s security forces, after July’s failed coup. Tens of thousands of people have been jailed in a crackdown that has been condemned by activists and several western governments. Mark Lowen‘s report contains details some viewers may find disturbing.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

“Much torture in Turkish prisons weeks after coup”

Today, 19:21

In the days and weeks following the coup in Turkey it looks like detainees have widely been tortured and mistreated. That concludes the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer after a six-day visit to Turkey. There he spoke with authorities and prisoners.

The torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners was encouraged by the special security measures after the coup of July 15, Melzer told news agency AP.

So someone can be held thirty days before a judge decides whether he should be detained any longer. And in the first five days after a person is arrested, he has no right to a lawyer. “Right then, the risk of torture and inhumane treatment is greatest,” said Melzer.

Zero-tolerance policy

Formally, Turkey regarding torture has a zero-tolerance policy, but allegations of torture are not investigated, said Melzer. Lawyers’ organizations that gathered evidence about police misconduct have been banned.

Human rights organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said this autumn already that Turkey tortures prisoners.

Amnesty says that happened even before the coup, especially in the Kurdish southeast of Turkey. “But after July 15 we saw an explosion,” said an Amnesty researcher to AP.