Arınç criticizes appointment of Sedat Selim Ay

Speaking to reporters about the appointment of Ay, a police officer whose actions caused Turkey to be fined by the European Court of Human Rights in two torture cases, as the deputy chief of the İstanbul Police Department's anti-terrorism bureau, Arınç said: “This issue was discussed in a cabinet meeting, and many of the ministers have expressed their negative opinions by saying that it would not be appropriate to appoint a person who has been charged with such a crime to a critical position.”

Arınç also stated that it is wrong to undermine the government with these kinds of controversial issues, saying that the relevant minister is responsible for removing this person from office.

He spoke about an Islamic principle which advises Muslims to stay away not only from unlawful, religiously forbidden acts or having bad morals, but also from questionable acts that lead to unlawful acts or having bad morals and added: “We should pay particular attention to the ethical rules of the society. Even if these speculations are not true, still it is not correct to appoint a person who has been accused of cruelty and torture to such a critical position.”

Ay was convicted by a Turkish court in 1996 after being charged in connection with torture allegations raised by eight individuals in custody. However, he never spent time in prison as his sentence was suspended. The European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of failing to punish those responsible, although torture had been proven in the case, and ordered Turkey to pay 10,000 euros to the victims.

In 1997, Ay was investigated over his role in the torture of 15 individuals in custody. However, the prosecutors dropped the case. One of the individuals who alleged she was tortured and raped by a group of police officers, including Ay, took the case to the European Court for Human Rights. The court fined Turkey again for failure to conduct an effective investigation and trial. The victim, Asiye Güzel, has since published her experience in a book.