The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ordered Turkey to pay 10,000 euros in damages and 1,500 euros in expenses to a schoolteacher after finding that he was mistreated and wrongfully teargassed at a 2004 protest in Istanbul.
The decision could have implications for authorities in Greece, where tear gas is routinely used by police at demonstrations.
Damages were awarded to teacher Ali Gunes, after court found that he had behaved peacefully at an anti-Nato demonstration, but „police grabbed him by the arms, sprayed him with tear gas and beat him up, following which they took him to a police station in which they kept him for 11 hours“.
It added: „The court noted that ‚tear gas‘ or ‚pepper spray‘ could cause people breathing problems, nausea, vomiting, irritation, spasms, chest pain, to mention only a few conditions. In strong doses, it could also be damaging to people’s lungs or cause necrosis of their breathing or digestive tract, and internal haemorrhaging.“
