Resul Özdemir was injured during the curfews in Cizre district of Şırnak in Turkey, back in 2015-2016. The he went to Sweden to seek political asylum. Last week, Swedish authorities handed Özdemir back to Turkey and Özdemir was immediately sent to Silivri No.9 Type-F Prison. Özdemir's lawyer Naim Akbulak visited his client prison and shared the statements of his client.

 

According to the re-telling of his lawyer, the story of Resul Özdemir is as follows, Özdemir waited for a response for his asylum application for 4 months and he was subjected to maltreatment and psycological pressure in the Asylum Center he was being made wait a few days before he was handed back to Turkey.

 

TORTURE BY TURKISH INTELLIGENCE (MIT) AND ANTI-TERROR OFFICE (TEM) 

 

Lawyer Akbulak told, "The police there abused my client, by consistently telling my client he was going back soon and they disturbed him late at nights so that he could not sleep. After telling him that he was being brough to the court house, they took him out of the Asylum Center, he was coffed on hands and legs. The police of Sweden prevented my client to inform his lawyer and family. My client to refuses to get onboard and resists. So that they throw him into the plane as if he was a package. He was beaten also during the flight. After they landed in Sabiha Gökçen Airport, he was taken by Turkish intelligence (MIT) and he was exposed to torture in the office of MIT for 6 hours. Then he was handed in anti-terror police (TEM) and he was also exposed to torture in TEM office as well. Here he was exposed to electric shock, physical attack, to be let on standing for a whole day as such."

 

HE WAS ASKED REGARDING THE INCIDENTS IN CİZRE CURFEWS

 

Lawyer Akbulak also informs about the grounds that his client is facing: "We have no detailed information regarding his file. He is mostly charged with the incidents in Cizre back in 2014-2016, but he was questioned as the executor of some criminal acts which happened during the time he served in prison. They basically accuse him to go to Rojava. I can tell that the file they created are basically based on few intelligence documents prepared by MIT and some people who gave testimonies before. Is there anything that cause him to be brought back in such an exceptional way? We do not know this yet. They talk about an already given decision of 15-years of imprisonment, but in non of the cases opened against him a decision was made, only one deicion regarding a monetary penalty. We have no information, neither does our client. And even though he was exposed to torture, he could not obtain any medical report regarding the torture marks and harm on his body."

 

MA/ Erdoğan Alayumat