Wrongly jailed man freed after 78 days
A MAN held in custody without charge for 78 days in connection with a fatal suspected arson attack, before being released last Friday, is to launch legal action over his detention.
Ali Demirbağ, from Elazığ, Turkey, was allowed to walk free from a cell at Gazimağusa police headquarters, which had been his home since December, after it was deemed that he had “nothing to do” with the death of Ali Rezay Rasekh Foumani.
Iranian Mr Foumani, 65, died in a fire at the Big Boss bar in Gazimağusa during the early hours of December 12.
Mr Demirbağ was arrested with another suspect three days later and questioned after police claimed tyre marks found at the scene matched those on a car driven by him and caught on CCTV.
No-one has yet been convicted in relation to Mr Foumani’s death.
Detention without charge is limited by law to 90 days in the TRNC.
“God is great, justice has been done,” a bearded Mr Demirbağ, hugging mother Emine, told reporters following his release.
“I experienced a lot of hardship . . . I was kept in police custody even though there was no real evidence against me . . . My conscience is clear.”
Mr Demirbağ said the police cells were in a “pitiable state” and he had not been allowed to see members of his family.
“Those in charge who come to inspect [the cells] do not look to see if the taps are working but check whether or not the doors are locked. I tried to clean myself as much as I could with cold water . . . My hair and beard became intertwined . . . These places are not fit for human beings . . . Thank God my loved ones did not let me go hungry.”
Mrs Demirbağ said: “I was convinced that my son was innocent. We had faith in justice and waited for the day when his innocence was going to be announced.”
Mr Demirbağ’s lawyer, Kaan Özanıl, said that his client would sue police.
The Cyprus Turkish Human Rights Foundation (KTIHV) issued a statement on Sunday condemning Mr Demirbağ’s plight and saying his human rights had been “violated”.
They claimed that nothing had been done to improve the state of the country’s police cells — “tiny” and “in basements devoid of any daylight and air” — despite “lots of complaints . . . for many years”.
A police spokesman said conditions in police cells were “humane”, with lighting from corridors, showers, and doors opened at meal times. Family contact had to be requested through and supervised by a lawyer.