afrinpost – Follow-up
The report issued by the Public Prosecution Office in Afrin, considering the death of the Kurdish lawyer “Luqman Hamid Hannan”, who was detained by Turkish intelligence and his body was delivered to his family two days later, came in a superficial form lacking in professionalism.
Not related to medical sciences, relied on a loose description by the judge, and in a brief statement the report indicated that the forensic doctor confirmed the judge’s description. Despite traces and bluish-purple color clearly seen throughout different parts of the corpse (face, abdomen, back, hands, thighs, and legs), the report ignored the aforementioned marks, nor explained their reasons.
And while it is assumed that the death occurred yesterday morning, Thursday, in the hospital, and the judge moved to the hospital at ten o’clock, the time period is less than the change of color to bluish pus, which needs an average of 8-12 hours in natural death to become more clear and visible. Hence, the indication of its clarity in the Prosecution report assumes the passage of a longer period. That is, the death occurred during the arrest and the investigation, and the victim was transferred to the hospital after he passed away.
As for the reference to the presence of traces of defecation, it is additional evidence that the death occurred before transfer to the hospital, and the reason is because the body becomes stiff for at least 12 hours, after which the muscles begin to relax, which may lead to urination and defecation, contrary to what was stated that defecation occurred before death.
Despite the existence of all these traces, the forensic doctor denied the presence of signs of torture, stress, or fractures, thus denying that the victim was subjected to torture. However, the main task in forensic medicine is to determine the causes of death, and this was never mentioned.
The report, issued by Judge “Muhammad Ibo”, the judicial assistant “Kamal Haj Ali” and the forensic doctor “Muhammad Sido, stated: “During the examination, we saw traces of cyanosis on the right face, hands, and abdomen, and when turning the corpse, we saw traces of cyanosis more than previously described in the back, legs, and thighs, and there are defecation traces on the underwear.”
The report also mentions witnessing the forensic doctor who examined the body after taking the legal oath and was authorized to autopsy “if necessary.” He was asked about the causes of death after the examination, and he answered after examining the body and palpating it with the hands. He confirmed the previous information without the presence of signs of torture, stress or fractures.
All in all, the report was in violation of scientific and legal standards, and very reductive, which purpose is clearly to exonerate the killers of the Kurdish lawyer Luqman Hamid Hannan.
