DEM Party MP Bozdağ's May 1st statement: “Law enforcement is violating the prohibition of torture”

DEM Party MP Bozdağ's May 1st statement: “Law enforcement is violating the prohibition of torture”

DEM Party MP Heval Bozdağ brought the issue of police using torture while intervening against citizens who wanted to march to Taksim Square on May 1st to the parliamentary agenda, reminding authorities of the prohibitions against torture and ill-treatment.

Submitting parliamentary questions for Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi to answer, Bozdağ stated, “The prohibition of torture and ill-treatment is an absolute right with no exceptions under any circumstances. The images that emerged on May 1, 2026, clearly demonstrate that this prohibition has been violated. It is the Ministry's responsibility to identify those responsible, the chain of command, those who gave and carried out unlawful orders, and the law enforcement officers who committed crimes.”

“THEY WERE DETAINED THROUGH THE USE OF VIOLENCE”

Stating that the direct use of torture and ill-treatment during interventions against citizens wishing to march to Taksim Square violated the prohibition, Bozdağ said, “Violent police interventions took place at many points, primarily in Beşiktaş and Mecidiyeköy, against citizens who wanted to march to Taksim Square, and hundreds of people were detained by law enforcement through the use of violence.”

“PEPPER SPRAY IS BEING SPRAYED DIRECTLY INTO PEOPLE'S FACES”

Drawing attention to the numerous images circulating in the public domain, Bozdağ listed the incidents as follows:

“A citizen being pinned to the ground with pressure applied to their neck, preventing them from breathing,

While pepper spray is a toxic chemical that endangers human health and spraying it directly at people's faces is unlawful; pepper spray was sprayed at numerous citizens from near-zero distance, directly targeting their faces,

Individuals who showed no resistance were detained through the use of violence, dragging, and battery,

While all forms of handcuffing, except in cases of clear necessity, constitute a violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, it is clearly seen that reverse handcuffing has been removed from being an exceptional measure and is being used as a widespread and punitive method.”

Emphasizing that these practices constitute a violation of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment guaranteed under Article 17 of the Constitution and Article 94 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Bozdağ stated, “At the same time, in the interventions where these acts were committed, as seen in the images, it is observed that a significant portion of the law enforcement officers involved had their faces completely covered and did not carry identifiable badge/helmet numbers, and these numbers could not be determined. This situation appears to be a condition implemented to make the investigation of law enforcement officers who engage in torture and ill-treatment difficult, or even impossible. On the other hand, the fact that hundreds of citizens were detained and the vast majority were released shortly after shows that detention procedures were used arbitrarily for the purpose of punishment and deterrence.”

“THERE IS NO EXCEPTION TO THE PROHIBITION OF TORTURE”

Emphasizing that torture is an absolute right with no exceptions under any circumstances, Bozdağ directed the following questions to Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi:

1) While exercising constitutional rights is not a crime, what is the legal basis and necessity for the detentions made on May 1, 2026?

2) What are the explicit instructions given to law enforcement regarding interventions against citizens exercising their right to assembly and demonstration? Who gave these instructions?

3) Despite the rule clearly stated in the regulations regarding the use of pepper spray that it “should not be used from close range and by directly targeting the face,” has any action been initiated or will any action be initiated against the law enforcement officers who violated this prohibition and the images showing this?

4) Has the law enforcement officer who, in the image that caused the most public reaction and is stated to have been recorded in Mecidiyeköy, sprayed pepper spray directly and arbitrarily into the face of a woman in a dispersing group from a very close distance been identified or will they be identified? Will any action be initiated against them?

5) What is the amount of chemical gas used on May 1st? Who gave the order regarding the use of these gases?

6) Has any investigation been initiated by your Ministry regarding the images of pressure being applied to the neck of a person pinned to the ground and their breathing being obstructed? Has the law enforcement officer who violated the prohibition of torture been identified?

7) How many law enforcement officers have been subject to proceedings to date regarding the videos showing battery, dragging, and violence against citizens who did not show resistance?

8) What is the reason for law enforcement officers on duty during the interventions covering their faces and not carrying badge/helmet numbers? Which regulation permits this? Was this practice carried out in accordance with an instruction? Who gave this instruction?

9) Are there any administrative or judicial investigations initiated regarding the interventions that took place on May 1, 2026? If so, what is the number of these investigations? How many of these investigations directly cover allegations of ill-treatment and torture?

10) What is the number of applications declaring that they were subjected to ill-treatment during and after detention?

News Source: 12punto