On Tuesday, the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court ruled that Metris Prison Deputy Director Fuat Karaosmanoğlu and guards Selahattin Apaydın, Nihat Kızılkaya and Sami Ergazi be given life sentences for the killing of Engin Çeber, who died while in state custody. Çeber and his friends were taken into custody in İstanbul in early October 2008 for reportedly selling the leftist magazine Yürüyüş. They were later arrested and sent to Metris Prison, where they were allegedly subjected to torture and the disproportionate use of force by policemen and prison guards.
Çeber was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there after suffering a brain hemorrhage as a result of head trauma.
Seventeen other defendants in the case were given sentences of up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. The prosecution decided to acquit the remaining 39 suspects.
The Çeber death marked a first in Turkish history when then Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin apologized on behalf of the state and the elected administration for his death. Çeber family lawyer Taylan Tanay noted in comments to press that Çeber and his friends were detained while selling a legal magazine in 2008. “Çeber and his friends were tortured during the time they spent in prison. With these sentences, Turkey has come to prove that the Metris Prison was scene to torture and abuse,” he said.
