Torture is one of the most denounced of all abuses. More conventions, constitutional protections, and national legislation exist against torture than any other single human rights abuse. There is also more monitoring of torture than many other abuses. Yet, it continues to be prevalent in too many countries around the world. A group of attorneys in the Izmir Bar Association (IBA) in Turkey organized its members to provide free services to victims of police torture.



Support for Victims

Torture, especially beating, is widespread in Turkish law enforcement. The system protects perpetrators. The public prosecutor can ignore a complaint of torture or ill-treatment. An accused person may say to the judge, “I was ill-treated at the station.” But the judge would ignore the statement. The excuse is that such treatment is a separate issue from the current consideration. This would be the crime for which the suspect is being accused. But international law, which Turkey has signed to, demands a response. It provides that an effective investigation of complaints of ill-treatment must be conducted. These laws are in the Turkish Penal Code. But in the five years since the laws were in force, not one person received imprisoned for the crime of torture.
The IBA wanted to encourage victims of police torture to bring cases forward. The IBA provided participating attorneys with training in prosecuting torturers. This training included:

• the medical aspects of torture
• the listening and documentation skills needed to build a case, and
• other aspects of human rights law.



The IBA also developed methods to advertise their services and encourage victims to come forward. They developed posters stating:

• “Don’t be scared”
• “Don’t remain silent”
• “Just phone us.”

The IBA produced and distributed posters and business cards. Non-governmental organizations and court houses hung the poster messages. The information provided the number for the victims to call for help. The business cards have been effective. In fact, one person called to let them know that he showed the card to a policeman who was going to beat him and the policeman let him go. IBA provided a 24-hour on-call service.

 After the training, each lawyer took one case file to investigate. They agreed to provide their services for free (pro-bono). The Izmir Bar Association paid the costs for filing fees and other case expenses. The group also established several committees. These cover training and skill improvement, supervision, media and public relations, publications/translation, and international connections.

Initial Formation and Impacts

Founded by a group of 4-5 attorneys, the project initially included 45 attorneys willing to prosecute torturers. The group grew to include 234 people providing direct or support services for human rights cases.

 In the year and a half since the project’s implementation, attorneys brought 304 cases to the Association. They have developed a reputation among the police stations. This likely had a strong preventative effect beyond the intervention in cases. The project heightened judges’ awareness of the problem of police torture.

The group’s reputation has continued to grow among police stations and government ministers receiving letters to the “group preventing torture.” In addition, they have been able to increase the awareness and sensitivity of many judges to such crimes.

The European Union (EU) took notice of their efforts. The EU mentioned their group as a sign of the improvements taking place in Turkey. A sizable grant from the European Union helped continue and expand their efforts.

The tactic reached success far beyond their expectations. They greatly encourage similar structures to be implemented in other bar associations throughout Turkey.