The brother of Palestinian who died in Turkish jail: The body is completely empty

The brother of a Palestinian who died while in Turkish custody said that it was impossible for the family to perform another autopsy as “there is nothing left inside” the body.

“It is impossible to dissect the body again because there is nothing left inside, the body is completely empty. Even the tongue does not exist,” Zakaria Mubarak, Zaki Mubarak’s brother, told Al Arabiya from Cairo.

Last month, Turkey said that Mubarak, one of the two Palestinian men arrested on alleged espionage charges in April, died while in custody and called his death a suicide.

Mubarak’s family said they were skeptical of the suicide claims and called for an investigation into the matter.

“It is a horrible thing, the body showed signs of brutal torture and it was almost deformed. In fact, I was in shock and amazement. I did not even recognize my brother,” Zakaria said after receiving the body in Cairo. “His daughters were able to identify him through distinctive features,” he added.

The family has also called into question the coroner’s report from Istanbul, which was translated into three languages.

“The report contradicted itself. It stated that the result of death was natural but at the same time, it said that the cause of death was due to several injuries. International courts will review all documents,” Zakaria said.

According to the family, Mubarak’s body has been fully photographed in order to provide further evidence of torture.

“They (the Turks) performed dissection throughout his body, even his tongue had been removed and replaced with cotton,” he said.