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Turkey’s earthquake victims face torture and abuse by security forces, rights groups say

The lack of government oversight in areas destroyed by the earthquakes has only worsened the abuse committed by security forces.
Turkish soldiers walk past a destroyed building in Hatay, on Feb. 11, 2023.

Omer Turkmen, a victim of the massive earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people and obliterated large swathes of southern Turkey on Feb. 6, thought police officials were going to provide him with a tent and food as temperatures dipped below zero in his native Antakya, the worst affected province of all.

What he got instead was a thorough beating that left him with memory loss and in a state of constant fear.

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