Workers pressured into confessions regarding their affiliation with 'terror organisations'

2021-10-23 16:27:29


	ANKARA -  Waste paper workers detained in Ankara were asked to sign statements written by the police as a confession of their affilitaion with 'terror organisations'.

	 

	It was stated that 5 workers, who were detained while collecting waste paper in Ankara's Çankaya district, were forced to sign a written statement at the police station that "they were prone to theft and they provide financial support to terrorist organizations with the income they earn from this job".

	 

	Fehmi Temel, one of the detained workers who gave information on the subject, said that they were forced to sign a document, and when they asked what was written in the statement, they got the answer "It says you were disturbing the people". Emphasizing that they did not accept the situation, Temel stated that they demanded a lawyer after the persistence of the police and the coercion.

	 

	'THEY ARE TRYING TO CRIMINALIZE WORKERS'

	 

	Lawyer Yasin Gökberk, who went to the police station upon the demand of the workers, told that the police tried to force the workers to sign the statements which they could not read. Gökberk said, “We saw the statements after that. It was written by the police and the statements were confessions that the workers were affiliated with terror organisations and have been supporting them with the income they earn from collecting waste paper. If the workers had signed them, they would be confessing to be a member of a terrorist organisation. We tried to take the statements from the hands of the police and during the scuffle the papers were torn."

	 

	'UNLAWFUL DETENTION'

	 

	Gökberk stated that they argued with the police and said, "I told the police that they couldn't keep the workers there any longer, and they must release them as soon as possible." They fined the workers for 204TL for Misdemeanor Law and released them.

	 

	Emphasizing that they will object to the fine, Gökberk stated that the reason for the detention was unlawful and that the workers were taken into custody while they were crossing the road, even though there were no complaints.