Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday announced that the trial of 13 law enforcement officers accused of torture and death in custody is an opportunity for justice against law enforcement abuse in Türkiye.

An indictment was issued on February 20, 2025, which charged “13 members of the gendarmerie of various ranks with torture resulting in Ahmet Güreşçi’s death, as well as the torture of Sabri Güreşçi resulting [in] a broken bone.” The first hearing of the trial against the 13 law enforcement officers will be on September 9, 2025.

According to HRW, the case is one of the most severe incidents of police and gendarmes abuse in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Hatay.

Sabri and Ahmet Güreşçi were suspected of looting and other crimes, which resulted in their arrest on February 11, 2023.

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