First suspended, then his ear was torn in custody… Fellow physicians spoke to 12punto

General surgery resident Dr. Barış Kaya was taken into custody at the hospital where he went to seek his rights after being suspended due to his activities in the Istanbul Medical Chamber Human Rights Commission. SES Co-Chair Mehmet Sıddık Akın and SES Aksaray Branch Co-Chair Diren Can Kaya, who stated that he was subjected to torture and battery and has since been threatened by plainclothes police officers, spoke to 12punto. The physicians will come together today with the slogan 'We are raising our VOICE for rights, justice, and humanity.'

“HIS WORK WAS TURNED INTO A CRIMINAL FILE”

SES Aksaray Branch Co-Chair Diren Can Kaya described the process of Dr. Barış Kaya's suspension and subsequent detention with these words:

“Our colleague, along with representatives of the Istanbul Medical Chamber, made a decision at the Istanbul Medical Chamber Human Rights Commission at the hospital where he works. They did this with a governor's office decision and the approval of the Istanbul Provincial Health Director. Our colleague's work there was turned into a criminal file. Later, he was suspended for 2 months, but then they extended this suspension process. When they extended it, our colleague told us he would start distributing leaflets, and we, of course, wanted to create public awareness. During this time, he first applied to his own hospital; he wanted to explain the situation to his own hospital and his patients. However, while he was at the hospital, the hospital's security guards came and said they would file a complaint.”

“THEY HIT HIM WITH BATONS WHERE THERE WERE NO CAMERAS”

Expressing the injuries sustained by Dr. Barış Kaya, Kaya said, “Teams claiming to be from the Anti-Terror (TEM) Security Bureau tried to prevent him, and they took him into custody with violence and torture. They took Barış Kaya for a forensic examination in handcuffs behind his back. Our colleague told the doctors that he would only be examined if the Anti-Terror Security teams left the room. The teams did not agree to leave the room, and our colleague continued to object. When our colleague refused to be examined under these conditions, they started to beat him there. They beat our colleague inside the hospital with kicks and punches. In the police station, in an area without cameras, they hit our colleague with batons. He has a perforated eardrum, a bruised eye, and a torn ear; we also have the medical reports of the battery,” she stated.

“HE HAS BEEN THREATENED BY POLICE SINCE DECEMBER 5”

SES Co-Chair Mehmet Sıddık Akın also stated that Dr. Kaya was being systematically threatened, saying, “Barış Kaya was taken into custody in an unlawful and unjust manner. As a result of the torture he suffered in custody, his face and eyes were bruised. Later, he was released with various judicial control conditions. He is free, but our colleague has been threatened since December 5. There is an approach like, 'We don't want to see you around here again, don't hold any protests or events.' Those doing this are the same plainclothes police officers who took him into custody,” he declared.

“A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT WILL BE FILED”

Conveying the legal struggle they will wage as SES, Akın emphasized 'democracy' and concluded his words as follows:

“Our colleagues will file a criminal complaint today after the press conference. A request will be made to ensure our colleague's safety. Of course, the legal process will proceed in some way, but it is unacceptable for those struggling for their rights to be subjected to such threats and to be taken into custody through pressure, force, and torture. This situation actually shows the level our country has reached in terms of human rights and law. While we defend the economic, personal, and democratic rights of health and social service workers, we are also waging a struggle for democracy. Because we approach this from a perspective that knows that in a country where democracy is not established with all its institutions and rules, the rights gained by workers can be discarded, and human rights can be trampled upon in this way. Yet, if our colleague had been called to give a statement, he would have gone; there is no acceptable side to him being taken into custody with such torture. We no longer want to experience these things in the 21st century. We express that these practices must end immediately, and we expect sensitivity and solidarity in this struggle from the entire public.”

News Source : Beste Çelik