Turkey launches probe into footage of alleged police brutality

ANKARA

The Prime Minister's Office has announced that it launched a probe after a video was shared on social media on Aug. 8, allegedly showing a policeman insulting handcuffed workers lying on the ground, reportedly at a construction site in the southeastern province of Hakkari."Our Prime Minister [Ahmet Davutoğlu] instructed the Interior Ministry to conduct the necessary review after the footage showing our citizens put on the ground in the scope of anti-terror operations has come into circulation on social media," the statement said."Our esteemed Prime Minister, who had several times underlined that the fight against terror should uncompromisingly continue within the rules of democratic state of law, also stresses that no illegal practice will be allowed," the statement added.Turkish media stated that the video was shot in Hakkari's Yüksekova district, although its date has yet to be reported.The unidentified person, whose face cannot be seen in the video, was allegedly the commander of the special police unit in the town. In the video, he is heard insulting the handcuffed workers on the ground. "Whoever engages in treason will get his comeuppance. What did this state do to you?" he adds.The video surfaced at a highly sensitive time. 24 Turkish security personnel have been killed in the past month by suspected militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern and eastern Turkey, as Ankara bombed PKK positions in Iraq.