Turkey’s Justice Minister denies coup detainee torture claims

Turkey’s justice minister Monday denied claims by a human rights group saying that suspected plotters of the July 15 coup have been subjected to torture in detention. Bekir Bozdag, minister of justice, said on his Twitter account, “There has not been any torture or assault of detainees in custody,” in response to allegations by Amnesty International. Bozdag added, “The claims of torture and assault make up a package misinformation campaign formed by members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PYD), one which is untrue and distorted.”The group said Sunday that it had evidence the detainees have been tortured as well as beaten and even raped.

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry issued a statement saying that Turkey is a constitutional state, and that it meets national and international criteria on human rights law even amid a state of emergency. “The health conditions of the detainees were checked by doctors after the detention and during custody, in line with detention regulations,” the statement said. The ministry added that contrary to Amnesty claims that Turkey lacks an institution which monitors detention conditions, Turkey’s Human Rights and Equality Institution is continuing to fulfill its duties.

The deadly coup attempt began late July 15 when rogue elements of the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country’s democratically elected government, killing at least 246 people and injuring more than 2,100 others. The government said the attempted coup was organized by followers of US based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming a parallel state. - Report courtesy of Turkish Embassy of Kuwait