Turkish police allegedly gas man holding infant son

ISTANBUL

Ebubekir Bıyıklı. DHA Photo

Turkish police allegedly used pepper spray against a man while he was holding his 18-month-old son in his arms in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, daily Radikal reported today.  

Ebubekir Bıyıklı and his son were reportedly exposed to pepper spray after he tried to prevent the police from taking his cousin to a police station for questioning.  

Bıyıklı's cousin, Aydın Bıyıklı, reportedly tried to break up a fight that erupted between two men in front of his workplace on July 20. However, one of the men filed a complaint against both the others because of a parking disagreement. 

A quarrel broke out between police officers and Aydın Bıyıklı when police came to take him to the police station. Pepper spray was reportedly used against Bıyıklı and his cousin when additional security teams came onto the scene.  

Ebubekir Bıyıklı also alleges that he was beaten by the police.  

"Police used pepper spray and beat me. My son was affected [by the pepper spray] too," Bıyıklı said. "Police wanted to take me police station after the incident, but they took me to a hospital when I insisted [on going to a hospital]."  

Police later released both Bıyıklı and his cousin.  

Bıyıklı has lodged a complaint to prosecutors about the incident with a battery report taken from hospital, the reports said.