A police broke the back of The lawyer Zeycan Balcı, a member of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) during their intervention against the reading of a press statement.The first hearing of the police who are charged with "causing physical injury, willful injury to an extend to breaking bones,  exceeding the limit on the use of force was held in İstanbul 22nd Criminal Court of First Instance in Çağlayan Courthouse after 3 years.  Istanbul Bar Association President Mehmet Durakoglu, Lawyers Union officials, members of the Ankara and Izmir Bar Association attended the hearing where more than 100 attorneys attended.

 

 

Police A. made his defense. A, stating that he was on duty in the riot police unit that time, stated that he was not on duty with the team that intervened to the attorneys that day and denied the expert report as well. Police A attracted attention because of his aggression in the hearing where he lashed out multiple times.

 

Zeynep Balcı, speaking after him said the followings, stating that she will bring a complaint and that she wants to attend the trial process: "Sometimes I feel uncomfortable saying I'm crippled. My colleague Tahir Elçi was massacred in this country in a press statement." Saying the names of the murdered lawyers one by one, Balci stressed that even the perpetrators of the murdered colleagues could not be found. Noting that the investigation lasted for 3 years, Balcı said that the change of 6 prosecutors in the investigation process was found to be meaningful. Balcı said:  "An expert witness identified the police who tortured me. When I was being kicked later to be cripple, Ali İsmail Korkmaz and Engin Çeber, who died as a result of the torture he suffered in 2008 at Metris Prison, was always on my mind."

 

Balcı explained the day of the incident and said: "We were at a hearing of a case where 18 of our colleagues were being tried. The hearing was over. When I got out of the courthouse building, I saw my friends making a press statement, I went to the stairs and sit by them.As soon as we sat down, the shielded cops surrounded us. But he didn't assault me ​​with a shield. The accused kicked me again and again. I was screaming. Their supervisort told them to back off. I felt a horrible pain. I moved my legs to see if I was paralyzed. They didn't let us use the courthouse ambulance. I told my friends I could get up and walk to the ambulance. But I couldn't. I couldn't feel from the waist down. I was taken to Okmeydanı State Hospital. A cop told that I couldn't be taken to Okmeydanı and ordered them to take me to Şişli Etfal Hospital. We did not accept that. I had a really hard time after that. I was uisng a steel corset. I have 2 children. That period was a trauma both for me and for them. My back hurts all the time. I've been struggling with this pain for 3,5 years. Does the police do the same thing to the women in his household? I hope not. Because that would make me feel bad for those women. I am human."

 

Over 100 lawyers are following Zeycan Balcı's hearing. The hearing continues with the requests of bars all over from Turkey to take part in the case.