On April 16th, two kolbers coming from Iranian Kurdistan, West-Azerbaijan province, in the district of Van Çaldıran were tortured at the border post. Hasan Keçelanlu, one of the kolbers, lost his life, and Behnam Semedi was seriously injured.
In the Beydoğan Police Station in the Çaldıran district of Van, it was claimed that the kolbers from Iranian Kurdistan, Hasan Keçelanlu and Behnam Semedi were brought in by Turkish armed forces, and subjected to severe torture. Hasan Keçelanlu and Behnam Semedi were captured by Turkish soldiers while trying to move from the Çaldıran district of Maku to the Çaldıran district of Van.
In the news, it was stated that Hasan Keçelanlu (37), married and father of 3 children, died as a result of torture, and Behnam Samedi was seriously injured due to torture and was taken to intensive care in a hospital in Çaldıran.
Journalist Ruşen Takva shared the details of this claim on his social media account. Takva wrote:
“The allegations about two Iranian kolbers, one of whom died and the other is in intensive care, are as follows: 5 days ago they were caught by the soldiers when they crossed the border in the Çaldıran district of Van. The captured kolbers are taken to the Beydoğan police station where they are subjected to intense torture.”
Biri ölen, diğeri yoğun bakımda olan İran'lı ۲ kolber hakkındaki iddialar şu: 5 gün önce Van'ın Çaldıran ilçesinde sınırı geçtikleri sırada askerler tarafından yakalanıyorlar. Yakalanan kolberler, Beydoğan karakoluna götürülüyorlar ve burada yoğun bir işkenceye uğruyorlar. +
— Ruşen Takva (@RusenTakva) April 19, 2021
“They are then taken to one of the border towers on the command of the outpost. The torture continues here as well, and the two Iranian kolbers are unconscious (probably dead) being abandoned in the border area.”
“Behman Semedi, who is currently in intensive care, realizes that his friend Hasan Keçalanlu has already died when he comes to his senses. Semedi crosses the border with injuries and reaches his village in Iran and tells about his experiences.”
Bu arada Semedi bir komplikasyon geçiriyor ve bulunduğu hastahanede yoğun bakıma alınıyor. İşkenceye uğrayan ve uyandığında arkadaşının yanında öldüğünü gören kolber, şu an İran'da bulunan bir hastahanede yoğun bakımda ve hayati tehlikesi devam ediyor. pic.twitter.com/2G09nBGPf6
— Ruşen Takva (@RusenTakva) April 19, 2021
“Meanwhile, Semedi has a complication and is taken to intensive care in his hospital. The young kolber, who was tortured and saw that he died next to his friend when he woke up, is currently in intensive care in a hospital in Iran.”
“There are two more grave claims. According to the first claim: The lifeless body of Hasan Keçalanlu, who was left at the zero point of the border, is thought to be still there. According to the other claim, Keçalanlu is wanted to be handed over to Iranian soldiers, but Iranian soldiers see that there are traces of beatings on the corpse and want the body to be delivered officially. [In order not to receive blame for the injuries the man has endured] In either case, there is no information about the fate of the body. ”
One relative of Semedi who talked to other reporters a few days after the incident, said: “After Semedi arrived at the village we went with Iranian soldiers to the place where the body of his friend was found. Iranian soldiers said that the body was heavily tortured.
Iranian soldiers told the relative that they cannot take the body due to torture and asked Turkish soldiers to pass the body from the border gate according to the law. “Then Turkish soldiers took the body and brought it there,” said the relative.
A citizen from the village of Beydoğan, where the incident took place, also said that he witnessed the soldiers on duty from the Sedat Nezih Özok Police Station detaining two kolbers.
It is said the victims were sexually harassed as well.
We request the Iranian government to follow up on this (and other) incidents. Turkey does not have the right to arbitrarily detain Iranian citizens, torture, and murder them.
