Lawsuit filed against two security guards who strip-searched girl accused of theft

ISTANBUL

A lawsuit was filed against two security personnel of an international cosmetics chain, who strip-searched a 17-year-old girl accused of theft in Istanbul.

The incident had occurred in a shopping center in Istanbul’s Eyüp district in November 2016. The girl and her friends entered one of the stores of a cosmetic chain. While looking for lipstick in the store, a security guard suspicious of the girl’s behavior took her under surveillance.

A few minutes later, the girl was pulled into the store’s depot and strip-searched by two female security guards.

However, the girl said there had been male security guards in the room during strip-search.

“There were two male security guards during the search. The female security guards only asked them [the men] to turn around [during the search]. There was also a security camera in the room. The store manager kept saying to me, ‘You are a burglar.’ He hit my head, calling me a ‘thief’ and ‘shameless,’” the girl said.

After the girl was searched, her cousin was also searched by the same guards. After they were convinced the girl and her cousin were not thieves, they were released from depot.

However, the girl filed a complaint about the store’s security guards. Her lawyer demanded up to five years in jail for one of the security guards. The other personnel will face one year in jail on charges of “actual bodily harm,” “insult” and “force.”

Meanwhile, the father of the girl said his daughter had become psychologically depressed after the incident.

“We are very sad. After the incident, my daughter had very bad days and had to seek psychological support. Now, she has finished high school and is preparing for university. We trust the judge’s decision,” he said.