Fifty-year-old Osman Şiban, a father of eight children, is one of two people in Van, Turkey, who were picked up by soldiers on their land and allegedly then detained, tortured, and thrown from a helicopter. Şiban, who has just come out of intensive care, suffers from memory loss due to the torture he was subjected to.
Fifty-five-year-old Servet Turgut, a father of seven children, was the other person who was working on his land when he was taken into detention by soldiers who were engaged in an operation in the Çatak district of Van. He remains in the intensive care unit of the Van Regional Training and Research Hospital and his life is still at risk.
While Turgut, allegedly thrown from a military helicopter, struggles to survive, the situation of Şiban is getting better.
Şiban’s eyes, still bloodshot, also has multiple bruises, and these were photographed by his family as evidence of how he had been treated by the soldiers.
According to Mesopotamia Agency, Şiban is suffering from severe memory loss as a result of the torture and trauma he experienced. At the moment, they are unable to get detailed statements from him because of his condition.
A health report that had been prepared for Şiban, who had been taken to a private hospital by the soldiers on 11 September, however, points to his ill-treatment. It had recorded his general condition on arrival as “medium bad” and it was determined that Şiban had bruises in both eyes and swelling in the head, neck and face due to trauma. The report determined that he required intensive care treatment. He was subsequently transferred to Van’s Regional Training and Research Hospital.
The allegation that Servet Turgut, who remains in intensive care, was thrown from a military helicopter was strengthened by the findings of his health report. It states that: “An anonymous patient was brought in due to a fall from a height”.
It has been suggested that the information about falling “from a height” was provided by the soldiers who brought Şiban and Turgut to the hospital.
