Nothing Unusual

Helsinki Watch has documented scores of cases of torture in Turkey since 1982, and Turkish lawyers who represent detainees claim that police routinely torture between 80 and 90 percent of political suspects and about 50 percent of ordinary criminal suspects, including children. Nothing Unusual documents the torture of children under the age of eighteen in Turkey. It concludes that such torture takes place in police stations and is carried out by police during the interrogation of children accused of both criminal and political offenses. In addition, children are not allowed to see lawyers during their interrogations nor are their families notified by police of their whereabouts. It concludes with specific recommendations to end these appalling practices.