Turkish police have detained 27 people over social media posts about the case of a 15-year-old girl in southeastern Batman province who was allegedly sexually abused by 27 men including public officials, according to Turkish media reports.
The incident reportedly took place in Gercüş, and the girl, who was allegedly sexually abused by military officers, village guards and policemen, has been found to be pregnant after she was hospitalized due to stomach pain.
Two individuals were detained as part of an investigation into the incident, and one of them has been arrested. Although there are 27 suspects in the case, the names of only 11 are mentioned in the investigation, and none of them is a public official.
The incident sparked outrage in society after it was uncovered by Jinnews, but Turkish media outlets cannot report on it due to a confidentiality order subsequently imposed by the prosecutor’s office in Batman.
The 27 people who were detained on Monday are accused of spreading disinformation on social media regarding the incident in line with the goals of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the US.
According to statistics announced by Turkey’s Ministry of Justice, 18,209 child abuse cases were launched in 2018, a significant increase over the 16,348 initiated in 2017.
However, this increase was accompanied by a drop in the number of convictions handed down by the courts. According to the ministry data, convictions dropped from 59.6 percent to 55 percent of the total in 2019.
