Prisonstruggle in Turkey: How to mask a murderattempt...

[ozgurluk at xs4all.nl]

The police lie when they they say "he wanted to commit suicide",
because they want to present a murder attempt as a suicide attempt

My name is Riza Poyraz. I am the one who according to the statement
published by the Istanbul Police Headquarters in the newspapers and
television, "in an attempt to commit suicide, jumped" from the fourth
floor of the Police Headquarters on Vatan Avenue. THIS STATEMENT BY
THE ISTANBUL POLICE HEADQUARTERS IS A COMPLETE LIE!  During my
detention in the Istanbul Police Headquarters I was thrown from the
window by policemen who were trying to murder me. The Istanbul police
want to cover up their guilt by announcing that this incident, which
became known to the public, was a suicide attempt. THE ISTANBUL POLICE
HEADQUARTERS IS LYING! I DID NOT JUMP FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE
POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN VATAN AVENUE "TO KILL MYSELF", I WAS PERSONALLY
THROWN BY THE TORTURERS FROM THE WINDOW ON THE FOURTH FLOOR... The
fact that I am still alive is pure good fortune. If I had been killed
I would not be able to make this declaration. I see it as a human
obligation to expose the guilty parties and bring about their
punishment by exposing the truth, and I believe that public
sensitivity can be created thereby to prevent future incidents like
this from happening.

On Monday, December 21, 1998, I was arrested as a "suspicious" person
by the police in Pangalti. They asked to see my identity card. I gave
it to them.  Although my address, identity and workplace are known, I
was brought to Mecidiyeköy police station. Here I was held, illegally
and arbitrarily, despite giving my home address and workplace. I live
with my family in the Gazi Neighbourhood (translator's note: a large
slum area on the northern edge of Istanbul, the scene of a people's
uprising triggered off by a fascist attack in March 1995), and Zeynep
Poyraz who was murdered by the police during the massacre in Gazi is
the daughter of my uncle. This must be where my "guilt" lies. After a
while I was brought to the Police Headquarters in Istanbul. From my
first moment in the Police Headquarters I experienced everything: I
was cursed, insulted, subject to repression, torture and threats...

I was arrested on suspicion, but I did not know why I had been
arrested, nor what their plans were for arresting me. The next day,
December 22, things began to be clearer. The police must have been in
need of a new success because they tried to implicate me in actions
whose perpetrators had not been identified. They also wanted me to
confess to carrying out an action and to tell them about it. I cannot
confess to an action or talk about an action when I did not do it nor
have anything to do with it. I said I had nothing to do with it. I
could not understand why these accusations were made, for which there
was no proof, and this is what I told them. But they persisted in
trying to get me to confess. To do this they practised every kind of
physical and psychological torture. On several occasions I was
suspended by the arms, and torture methods were used on me like
crushing my testicles, spraying me with high pressure water, shoving
my head in a bucket of water to drown me, obscenities, humiliation and
beating. Besides, they told me that they had smeared excrement on me,
even though I could not see it because my eyes were tied. During the
torture my eyes and arms were bound . Despite the torture, I did not
confess to the "accusations". At this point they began to threaten
that they would kill my family. Quite openly they threatened to kill
me. At one point they said to me: "YOU WILL CONFESS, IF NOT WE WILL
THROW YOU FROM THE WINDOW AND STATE LATER ON THAT YOU HAVE COMMITTED
SUICIDE. NOBODY WILL CALL US TO ACCOUNT FOR IT." At the close of
torture which had lasted an entire day, about midnight I was brought
out of the torture chamber, with my eyes blindfolded. They took me
somewhere and said, "You're just about to experience something." I
felt I was being brought to a window. The window was open. They took
off the blindfold and said: "CONFESS OR WE'LL THROW YOU OUT."
Immediately afterwards they put the blindfold back on and threw me out
of the fourth floor.

When I came round the next day and opened my eyes, I noticed I was in
hospital. My legs were broken and I hurt all over. Despite this the
police ruthlessness continued. "Listen, you won't get off so
easily. You will confess to the actions we have mentioned. Even if you
get out of here you will not be able to save yourself. Do you think
you will survive if you fall from the 10th floor?" They continued
their threats with these words. I was brought into the Gureba
Foundation Hospital. The doctor in the emergency ward, who was human
only in external appearance and on whose identity disc I read the name
M. AYANOGLU, did not behave differently from the torturers in any
way. Dr M. AYANOGLU tried in every way to ingratiate himself with the
police. While the police claimed with sickening smirks that I was the
"terrorist who bombed the justice building and fell while trying to
escape", Dr M. AYANOGLU said: "Actually, how is it possible that this
low creature is not dead? That means he did not fall properly. People
like that should not be treated, they should be left to croak. It is a
pity if the state puts itself to expense by looking after the health
of people like that."

While being hanged during torture my arms and shoulders had become
blue and were still numb. Because of torture my testicles have become
inflamed and I have a burning sensation when I pass urine. On my head
and the back of my neck there are swellings which result from
blows. Because of the torture and the fall from the window I suffer
from severe headaches. Both feet are broken. Despite this, which needs
treatment, I have not been given any medical treatment. Even here, the
police continued torture. My feet were encased in plaster. The police
who kept an eye on me said: "Up to now, nobody has made it through the
police station." They constantly stuck a pencil into the plaster on my
feet and between my toes.They applied lit cigarettes to my
fingers. They thought that they would make it easier to get me to sign
the falsehoods in the protocol at the police station. They took pains
to get me discharged from the hospital as quickly as possible and I
was taken back to the torture centre.

The torture continued from my condemnation by the State Security Court
to my being sent to prison. Today I am a prisoner in Ümraniye
prison. Besides my completely unjustified imprisonment I have been
tortured and an attempt made to murder me.

I declare that the police are indeed murderers. The police are
torturers.  The police have tried to murder and then disseminated the
lie that "he wanted to commit suicide." I am lucky to still be alive -
that is the truth.  If I was not, I would not be able to make the
truth public. Assessing the truth and creating an appropriate
sensitivity among the public, democratic organisations and
institutions is a requirement of being human and being just.

January 2, 1999

RIZA POYRAZ
Umraniye Prison             
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