Mehmet Şah Karataş, who reacted to the intervention of municipal officers against street musicians performing in Kurdish in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district, was subjected to violence first by municipal officers and then by the police. Karataş said that the attacks, which began on the street, turned into torture at the police station, that his phone was confiscated, and that he was slandered over an offense he did not commit. He stated that he became a target because he spoke out against the situation.
Municipal officers targeted me
Mehmet Şah Karataş said that municipal officers affiliated with Bakırköy Municipality attempted to prevent artists performing in Kurdish despite having permission. Karataş said: “Because I defended Kurdish music and the language of the Kurdish people, there is nothing I have not been subjected to. Municipal officers targeted me, attacked me repeatedly, and beat me. They left my hands and face covered in blood and dislocated my finger. I was exposed to both threats and insults.”
Turned into a suspect while being the victim
Karataş stated that after the attacks he went to the police station to file a complaint, but encountered treatment he did not expect. He stressed that he was the victim, yet was made the suspect in the case file, and said: “Even though I did nothing to the municipal officers, they portrayed them as victims by falsely accusing me of ‘resisting a public official.’ Because the other side was municipal officers, the police acted in a biased manner,” voicing his reaction to the procedures at the police station.
Mehmet Şah Karataş added that the pressure he experienced extended to digital platforms and that he was openly threatened with death on social media. He said that during a live broadcast on social media, individuals claiming to be the municipal chief officer and his relatives joined the stream and stated: “They told me, ‘We will come with 200 people and attack you, we will cut off your head and throw it in the trash. Just as Alevis were burned in the Sivas Madımak Hotel, we will burn and kill you in the same way.’ Following these threats, I went to the police station again to file a complaint; however, no action was taken against those who issued the threats.”
Torture at the police station
Karataş claimed that while he was at the police station, officers unlawfully attempted to seize his phone and that he was subjected to police violence when he objected. He described what he experienced as follows: “They tried to take my phone by force despite the absence of a prosecutor’s order. When I objected, I was attacked by ten police officers. They tripped me, threw me face down on the ground and handcuffed me behind my back. They broke my nose, confiscated my phone, and damaged it by throwing it on the ground. In the lawyer consultation room, I lost consciousness because they pressed on my chest and squeezed my throat. I was subjected to torture for half an hour.”
If you file a complaint, we will slander you
Karataş alleged that the police offered him a deal to cover up the assault and said that when he refused to withdraw his complaint, he was subjected to slander. He said that a broken wall in the room was attempted to be blamed on him and added: “They told me, ‘If you do not file a complaint, we will release you; otherwise, we will say that you broke this wall.’ They openly admitted that they would slander me. However, that damage was already there before I arrived, and another person in custody also witnessed this.”
Karataş stated that the judge did not listen to him in court and that his right to defense was restricted. He said he was punished despite the absence of any concrete evidence. He underlined that it was physically impossible for him to have broken the wall and added: “Is it possible for someone handcuffed behind their back to break a wall that would be difficult to demolish even with a sledgehammer? There is neither camera footage nor fingerprints. Despite this, the judge scolded me and imposed two months of house arrest along with a travel ban.”
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