A young cellist in Turkey gets battered by police at a subway entrance in İstanbul
On Wednesday (August 2), a young cellist, Gülşah Erol, was targeted by police officers in Kadıköy district of Turkey’s İstanbul as she was trying to get into the subway station.
Erol shared a photograph of herself on social media showing the physical harm caused by the officers who battered her during the security check at the entrance of the subway.
In her message posted along with the photo, Erol wrote: “Yesterday, on August 2nd, I was battered by two police officers. At the entrance of Kadıköy subway station, they locked me into a room declaring my instrument as a bomb and me as a terrorist. I was punched and kicked (in the room) multiple times while I was handcuffed. They hit my face with the flag of Turkey by saying ‘we are the citizens of this country’. What about me? As I told them to ‘watch my arms and hands because I am a musician’, I was battered even more. According to them, people like me must leave this country and that people like me were traitors. They threatened me with jailing me and they insulted my whole family cursing in an unmentionable manner. Result is: with my purely clean life and heart, I am free. But I am really hurt! I did not share the photographs of the injuries on my body because it is too bad. Just this much (photo of my neck) should be enough to show what I have been subjected to in this country. I am a musician; an artist who has been giving effort to contribute to this country. Is this what I deserve? My musician and artist friends! Please be careful! If they approach you even in an insulting and aggressive manner, please just keep it silent and get away from them (officers). All my body aches: my chin, eyes, face, legs, and arms are completely battered but my heart hurts the most. I could have died!"
In a video shared on social media today (August 4), the officers are seen when pushing the young girl while other guards and officers try to prevent the person with the camera from recording the incident.
As the man with the camera asks ‘why he needs to stop recording’, an officers angrily yells ‘because, it is forbidden’.