Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputies submitted a petition to parliament regarding Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban, the villagers who were thrown from a helicopter on 11 September last year. Ignoring HDP demands, the Ministry of Interior responded by saying “There is an investigation”.
Osman Şiban (50) and Servet Turgut (55), both from Van in Turkey, were reportedly subjected to beatings and torture and, according to some reports, also hurled from a military helicopter. Turgut died in hospital from his injuries. There is a confidentiality order in the investigation case file and detailed information is not available.
In an attempt to draw attention to the severity of the crime, HDP MPs Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Murat Sarısaç, Muazzez Orhan Işık and Rıdvan Turan applied to the Presidency of the Human Rights Investigation Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
In the petition, the deputies emphasised that torture is a crime not only against its victims, but also against the whole society. The MPs recalled Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and stated that no one can be subjected to torture.
They asked for the victims to be consulted and listen to, and for an effective investigation into the perpetrators.
In its response, the Ministry of Interior did not mention the demands of the deputies.
The only answer was “There is an investigation regarding the incident”.
