ENGIN CEBER was killed under brutal torture at Metris prison in Istanbul

UPOTUDAK | 23 – 10 – 2008 | Engin Ceber detained at Metris Prison, Istanbul was killed under brutal torture. Consequently, Ministry of Justice passed the case onto Ministry of Internal Affairs to launch an investigation. However, both ministries continue until today to be silent regarding the course of the case.

You are all, no doubt, aware of anti-terror bills that came into being in European countries. You are also aware that fundamental rights of political refugees from Turkey are being taken away based on the myth that there is no systematic torture in Turkey. You all witness that these political refugees with long sentence or life imprisonment are tried to be extradited to Turkey based on the same fabricated argument that Turkish authorities no longer apply systematic torture to detainees.In other words, we have been through a period that torture and ill-treatment in Turkey is allegedly not a state policy, says international policy makers. By doing so, extradition would conform to International Human Rights Convention.

“If torture is a common, continuous and deliberate practice in a country, that means it becomes a systematic form of treatment.” In years of 2006-2007, 10886 police and gendarme officers were accused of using torture in interrogation. None of these cases are taken seriously by courts according to annual reports of Human Rights Association.

Killing of Engin Ceber under torture is no exceptional case in Turkey.

Many political prisoners after death fast cannot maintain their daily life on their own. Many political prisoners still suffer from deadly illnesses like cancer, Hepatitis B. Many cases opened against security forces are about to be dismissed due to time limitations.

Under such circumstances, the massacring of Engin Ceber reminds those who intend to forget this fact.

We condemn Killing of Engin Ceber under torture.

All responsible people must be tried. We never forget what happened at the Prisons of Turkey.

UPOTUDAK
(International Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners)