Reports of police mistreatment and physical abuse during police detention are rising, as figures, such as journalists and comedians after detentions or arrests speak louder.
One of those figures is journalist Hazar Dost, who was detained on July 6 by police while shopping at a grocery store over an incomplete court statement from a 2018 protest file. Following his release from the Küçükçekmece Courthouse, Dost announced plans to file a formal criminal complaint regarding his treatment while in custody.
“From the hour I was detained, I was not allowed to go to the toilet,” Dost said on social media. “I had to relieve myself in a plastic bottle in the holding cell. Even though I repeatedly requested my mandatory medication, they did not bring it.”
Dost also reported facing verbal and physical aggression from the police. “I was subjected to insults and profanity in the vehicle,” Dost said. He added that an officer bent his arm to push him into a holding facility. “After I resisted, he applied physical violence in a way that cameras could see.”
HUMOR USED TO REPORT ABUSE
Comedian Deniz Göktaş also reported facing targeted mistreatment. Göktaş was arrested on July 3 after uploading his latest stand-up performance on YouTube.
Through his lawyer, the comedian used satirical commentary to share the details of his arrest. Göktaş said that police insisted on applying reverse handcuffs even though he surrendered voluntarily. “They did it by using force,” Göktaş said. “My glorious resistance lasted about four seconds. What could I do? The police officers were twice my size.”
The comedian reported that police forced him to participate in a staged video shoot for social media. “Someone at the police department must have said, 'Well, actually, this is to produce content for social media,'” Göktaş said. “My videos with reverse handcuffs were shot from the front, back, and side. Because I found the cameraman and smirked in all of them, they could only broadcast the far-back angle.”
