Background
Engin Çeber was a young man detained in Istanbul in 2008 while selling a left-wing magazine. His death became one of the most frequently cited cases in debates over ill-treatment in custody and prisons in Turkey, both because it was documented in detail and because the trial resulted in some of the heaviest sentences ever handed down in a torture-related case.
The incident drew wide public attention at the time, and human rights groups and bar association representatives followed the proceedings closely.
What happened
Çeber was detained on 28 September 2008 after an identity check in Sarıyer and was then remanded to Metris Prison. According to the court proceedings, he was severely ill-treated in custody and in prison. On 7 October 2008 he was found to have been beaten by guards after failing to get up for the morning count. He collapsed, was taken to hospital in a coma with a brain haemorrhage and died on 8 October.
The guards initially argued that the death stemmed from treatment at the police station, but a later Forensic Medicine report concluded that the cause was violence suffered in the prison.
Trial
The case was heard by a High Criminal Court in Bakırköy. The first ruling was overturned by the Court of Cassation on procedural grounds. In the retrial, on 26 November 2012, the court sentenced the deputy prison director and guards to aggravated life imprisonment for causing death through torture, while others received lighter terms. On 11 November 2013 the Court of Cassation largely upheld the verdict, making three life sentences final.
The ruling was described as the heaviest punishment given for torture in Turkey. The deputy director's sentence rested on the finding that he took part by failing to intervene. A separate case was also conducted against friends of Çeber who said they had been tortured. Sources differ somewhat on the number of defendants and sentences.
Legacy
Çeber's death is regarded as a turning point in the enforcement of the ban on torture in Turkey. The case is seen as a rare example of public officials being held to account in such an incident.
His family and friends commemorate him every year. Dark Location keeps this page to remember Çeber and to record a case in which the pursuit of justice produced a result.