Entering the prison cell where former police chief Ömer Köse was kept alone, five or six guards assaulted him. Details of Köse’s health condition and attack are in the news piece.
BOLD – Istanbul Police Department’s former Anti-Terror Branch manager Ömer Köse has been in prison since August 2014. Mr. Köse, who was kept alone in Tekirdağ No 2 F-Type Prison with Penalty, was reportedly attacked on March 4 by the guards in his cell.
Ömer Köse was reportedly threatened by a guard after a phone call last Monday and that Mr. Köse reported this situation in writing to the prison administration.
Ignoring Mr. Köse’s written petition, the battering took place during the count on Wednesday evening. Köse’s account of the incident is as follows:
“Since I am kept in a single cell, a guard normally comes to the counts and finishes in a few seconds. However, 5-6 guards entered the cell on Wednesday. One of the guards suddenly started hitting my abdominal area and back. When I reacted to defend myself, my arms were held by other guards, and the guard who hit me first started punching me.”
The same guard previously quarreled with Mr. Ömer Köse reportedly and made efforts to prevent him from exercising his legal rights in prison consistently.
Prison psychologist ignored
Mr. Köse reportedly pressed the panic button after being assaulted, but the prison psychologist came along with the guard who attacked him. Mr. Köse reported the threats and explained to the psychologist how he was beaten in full detail, also submitting a petition to the prison administration. However, no action was taken.
Mr. Köse is reportedly in good condition currently.
Infamous prison
The right violations against Ömer Köse in Tekirdağ Prison have been on the public agenda before.
It was mentioned that the isolation applied to Mr. Köse is quite unbearable. While all prisoners meet with their families in the same hall, the prison authorities allowed Mr. Köse for individual non-contact and contact visits with his family members in a special room. Thus, it is ensured that he does not see anyone other than the guards who come to his cell. The right to chitchat and sports are not allowed exclusively for Mr. Ömer Köse at Tekirdağ No 2 F Type Prison.
The most crucial problem faced by Mr. Köse is that his petitions are not processed. The guards intentionally ignore criminal complaints made by Mr. Köse to the prosecutor’s office about the practices of the prison administration.
On December 17, 2013, after the graft probe targeting Tayyip Erdogan’s son Bilal Erdogan and four ministers, Erdogan dismissed and arrested a large number of police officers, prosecutors, and judges. Erdogan labeled the probe as a judicial coup against his administration. Mr. Ömer Köse was one of the police chiefs arrested during this period.
