Rights group: torture reports after failed coup in Turkey
A human rights group said Tuesday that Turkish police have tortured or ill-treated detainees following the failed coup attempt in July, a claim that Turkish officials deny.
In a 43-page report published Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said that a state of emergency adopted after the coup attempt—which is still in effect—has weakened safeguards against torture. It details 13 alleged abuse cases, including sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse and rape threats.
"The prohibition of torture in international law is absolute and cannot be suspended even in times of war or national emergency," the report said. "And yet, the emergency decrees remove crucial safeguards that protect detainees from ill-treatment and torture." It called on the authorities to "immediately rescind those provisions of the emergency decrees that enable abuse."
