7 Turkish police officers probed for beating man

ANKARA - The Associated Press

AA Photo

Officials say seven police officers have been temporarily laid off while being investigated for the severe beating of a man that was captured on video and broadcast on Turkish televisions.
 
The grainy video that has caused outrage in Turkey, shows a group of policemen lashing a man with a belt, beating him with batons and kicking him as he lay on a street.
 
The Istanbul governor’s office said Thursday seven officers are being probed over the incident.
 
The victim, Ahmet Koca, told Hurriyet newspaper in an interview published Thursday that he was beaten after a right of way dispute with a police vehicle while rushing a pregnant relative to hospital.

Koca reportedly said that the police officers attacked him after he spoke on the phone with his brother in Kurdish, according to daily Habertürk.  

"Police asked me if I was a terrorist when they heard me speaking Kurdish, and then they attacked," Koca said.
 
The beating was secretly recorded by a witness who has remained anonymous.