Medical report denied to woman who suffered miscarriage after police beating

Burcu PURTUL UÇAR ISTANBUL / Hürriyet

The incident is just one example of the dramatic scale of police impunity in Turkey. HÜRRİYET Photo

A woman who suffered a miscarriage after being beaten by police in the center of Istanbul has been denied a medical report by the Forensics Department for over three years.

The victim, identified only as E.Ö., was participating in a student union demonstration on Dec. 4, 2010, when police cracked down on the protesters with tear gas and batons.

E.Ö. was severely beaten by baton-wielding police officers, despite reportedly pleading with them not to hit her as she was pregnant.

She was 19 years old at the time and in her sixth month of pregnancy.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into the case after E.Ö. filed a complaint, but are still waiting for the official medical report from forensics almost 3.5 years after the incident.

According to daily Hürriyet’s sources, forensics officials answered each demand by saying that the report would be “sent in the shortest delay.” A new prosecutor was even appointed to the case after it was opened.

The incident is just one example of the dramatic scale of police impunity in Turkey, which has been on the agenda of human rights associations recently. The issue gained wider attention after the lack of effective investigations into the lethal police crackdowns against demonstrators during last summer’s anti-government Gezi Park protests.