A Turkish court has convicted Cengiz Yildiz, the police officer of “involuntary manslaughter” at police custody to four years in the fatal shooting of Festus Okey, a Nigerian refugee, an asylum seeker in Istanbul.

Istanbul / NationalTurk – Festus Okey, an asylum seeker from Nigeria, residing in Istanbul, Turkey was detained in August 2007 on charges of drug possession and died from a gunshot wound at the central Beyoglu police station. The shot was fired from Cengiz Yildiz’ gun but the Turkish police officer has since claimed it was an accident. The case has attracted since interest from Turkish and international media. The court sentenced Cengiz Aktan to four years and two months in prison.

Human rights groups condemned the bureaucratic obstacles that held up the trial into the death of Festus Okey. Additionally in a recent report, The European Union criticized the persistent lack of thorough investigations into alleged extra-judicial killings by law enforcement officers.

Turkish Police : Brutal and bloodthirsty ?

The officer would have faced a life sentence if found guilty of murdering Festus Okey, whose stenciled portraits are still spray-painted on some streets and alleys of Istanbul in memory of him.

The absence of security controlled camera footage as well as the inability of the police to produce the shirt the Nigerian wore at the time of his death further complicated the case. The slow progress in the Festus Okey case and the absence of an independent police complaints mechanism is heavily criticised in Turkey. Authorities said Festus Okey, who was detained for not carrying any ID on him, had tried to grab the officer’s gun, and that the weapon was fired during the scuffle.

Festus Okey case disclosed with only 4 years of sentence ?

Festus Okey was not represented by a lawyer in the case due to a dispute over his identity.

Allegations of torture by security forces, who regard themselves above the law have long stained Turkey’s human rights record, and the government is trying to eradicate such practices. The Turkish police is disliked in Turkey for its ignorance and vulgarism, even against women who are handcuffed and beaten.

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