Female suspect identified amongst only men

Habertürk

The line up.

Irina Omara Yıldız, the only woman in a police line-up, was identified as the female leader of a prostitution ring after a raid in Antalya, Habertürk reported on its website.

The identification fiasco happened when 18 people were taken into custody following a prostitution raid in Antalya, including suspected gang leader Yıldız.

Police brought 27 women from the prostitution ring to identify the ringleader, only to find just one woman in a line-up of 18 people. Only two of the 27 women identified Yıldız as the suspect.

After the identification process, photos and evidence were filed away. The mishandling of the matter was revealed later on.

Turkish law requires that a police line-up of suspects include more than one person of the same sex, with similar physical qualities and outfits. The identification process failed to meet the legal requirements with Yildiz being the only woman, with 17 other male suspects in line with her.  

The women brought to identify Yıldız allegedly worked for the prostitution ring and were deported thereafter. Yıldız and 10 others were arrested in relation the prostitution ring.

Should Yıldız’s lawyers object to the misconduct, the subsequent deportation of the 27 women brought in to identify her prevents any chance of conducting a proper identification of the suspect.

Investigations continue on the matter, Habertürk reported.