Ministry to take action against police officers who used tear gas abusively

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Scores of protesters were also injured by the impact of gas canisters, some of which even hit the heads of demonstrators. AA photos

Police officers who used tear gas bombs abusively and who are determined to have resorted to excessive force will be prosecuted, Turkey's Interior Ministry announced in a statement June 1. 

All camera footage recorded during the interventions will be examined to determine if officers transgressed their legal authority, the ministry added. "Due legal action will be launched into personnel who are determined to have used disproportionate force," the statement read.

Interior Minister Muammer Güler had announced a day earlier that an investigation would be opened to look into claims that excessive force had been used. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had also admitted June 1 that there had been "mistakes" in the use of tear gas. He nevertheless defended the use of tear gas "At the appropriate time and according to the rules."

Over a hundred individuals have been admitted to hospitals suffering from respiratory problems due to the effects of the tear gas, doctors have reported. Scores of protesters were also injured by the impact of gas canisters, some of which even hit the heads of demonstrators, according to witnesses.