MANISA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court acquitted 10 police officers Wednesday who were accused of beating and sexually abusing teenagers who had put up leftist political posters in this small town.
Although the police officers were originally charged with torturing 15 students, ages 15 to 21, a prosecutor reduced the charges to maltreatment last month. The court ruled Wednesday there was no evidence to support either torture or maltreatment claims.
The teen-agers were arrested in 1995 for displaying political posters in the town, 30 miles east of the Aegean port city of Izmir. Eight were under 18 at the time of their arrest.
Eleven of them were later convicted of belonging to an outlawed leftist group and sentenced to between nine months to 12{ years in prison. A higher court in January overturned their conviction and ordered a retrial to take into account their claims that they were sexually abused, beaten and sub
Turkish court acquits 10 policemen in torture case
Published March 12, 1998
0