“I cried. As a member of parliament, but above all, as a human being, I cried,” said Sezgin Tanrıkulu, a deputy from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), addressing parliament on Tuesday. His emotional statement followed his visits to İstanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse, where he encountered several young detainees and shared what he described as “first-hand evidence” of police abuse, including sexual violence.
Tanrıkulu’s remarks came amid a widening crackdown on dissidents and youth activists in Turkey, following recent mass detentions during protests. Over three days at the courthouse, he said he personally met with detainees and lawyers and witnessed what he described as “inhumane treatment”.
“One young woman told me she was dragged by her hair, thrown to the ground, and groped by a male police officer who taunted her,” he said, reading from the young woman’s written statement. “He said to her, ‘Do you have breasts?’ and touched her. At that moment, she wet herself.”
Tanrıkulu’s use of graphic testimony visibly shook the parliamentary chamber. Directing his words especially to women lawmakers of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), he said: “I am reading this to you. A young woman was sexually assaulted. Where is your conscience?”
The Diyarbakır (Amed) MP condemned senior government officials for denying the existence of torture, accusing both the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Justice of shielding perpetrators.
“They come out and say, ‘There is no torture in Turkey.’ They say those who claim otherwise are traitors. But if a minister defends the torturer, do you think they’ll stop?”
Despite repeated allegations, Turkey’s government maintains that it upholds a strict “zero tolerance” policy on torture. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç have both rejected claims of systemic abuse, insisting that “traitorous narratives” seek to tarnish the country’s image.
Tanrıkulu challenged this narrative. “If a member of parliament makes such a serious claim, the Minister should say: ‘We will investigate. We will take action.’ Instead, they declare us traitors. What kind of justice is that?”
He also criticised the judiciary’s alleged inaction in the face of credible complaints. “We tried to submit a petition to the prosecutor on the seventh floor. The lawyers stood in front of the counter. The clerk came back and said, ‘We’re not accepting your petition.’ That’s the reality. Even under martial law, we could knock on a prosecutor’s door.”
Tanrıkulu concluded his speech with a blunt condemnation: “Damn those who torture. Damn those who protect them.”
Human rights groups have long accused Turkey of eroding legal protections, particularly after the 2016 failed coup, which was followed by sweeping purges and emergency decrees. In a report from 2020, Human Rights Watch noted a continued pattern of impunity for law enforcement officers accused of mistreatment.
So far, no official investigation has been launched into the allegations presented by Tanrıkulu. The ruling AKP has not issued a public response to his speech.
