Police baton ‘service tool, not weapon:’ Lawyer

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

DAILY NEWS Photo

A Turkish lawyer has defended her clients, six policemen accused of beating a Gezi Park protester, by arguing that a police baton is a “service tool, not a weapon.”

Erdem Kara, 25, sued six policemen, accusing of them of using “disproportionate force” while detaining him during the Gezi Park protests in front of the ruling Justice of Development Party’s (AKP) headquarters in the southern province of Antalya in June 2013.

At the second hearing of the trial at the 28th Criminal court of First Instance on April 7, Kara’s lawyers claimed the security camera footage showed the policemen “tortured” the plaintiff while beating him with batons and kicking him.

The defense lawyers objected to this interpretation, saying the policemen should be acquitted as their actions were in accordance with the law. Burcu Yıldırım, a defense lawyer, further argued that the law regulating the police authority describes the baton as a “service tool,” and not a weapon, to be legally used with “material force.”

The court found the policemen guilty and sentenced each to pay an administrated fine of 3,240 Turkish Liras. It also suspended the execution of the ruling, which means that the fine will be collected only if the convicts repeat the crime.

Kara’s lawyers said that they would object to the ruling, insisting that the policemen’s actions should be regarded as torture and an attempt to deliberately kill a person.