Photo: Emirhan Altintas, 13, was handcuffed by two policemen for allegedly tearing an election poster in Duisburg, Germany. Ersen Altintas vowed to sue the German police for assaulting his son.

(Credit: Mesut Zeyrek/Anadolu Agency)

Harun Nasrullah

A Turkish family living in Germany announced on April 17 that they plan on taking legal action against the German police over violence used during the arrest of their 13-year-old son for allegedly tearing an election poster.

In footage recorded on April 12, two police officers were seen rear-handcuffing Emirhan Altıntaş, while one officer was pressing the boy’s chest with his knee in the western city of Duisburg.

The boy’s father, Ersen Altıntaş, said that such treatment by the police of a child cannot be tolerated, regardless of its reason. “We will follow the case legally till the end,” said the father, who works as an engine driver in Duisburg.

Ersen stated the images of his son’s arrest were reminiscent of the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minnesota, US, during an arrest.
Emirhan said he was hanging out with his friends when he suddenly lost his balance in front of a church. He fell with an election poster in his hand, which he tried to hold on to.

“A woman who saw the incident called the police. I walked to the park with my friends and sat down. A female and a male police officer came there … the male police grabbed and slammed me to the ground, and pressed on my neck with his knees.

“I couldn’t breathe and had a blackout. They (police) pressed on my arms and legs, and dragged me to the floor,” he explained.

The father said that both the Turkish authorities and the Turkish press contacted them after the incident, but the German authorities and the press ignored it. “We will not give up on this matter till the end, no matter what. We will sue,” he added.

Ersen said that they took Emirhan to the hospital and that his son had signs of beating on his head, neck, and back. Ersen said that it is illegal to take a 13-year-old boy to the police station while he is wearing a reverse handcuff