Yesterday, an article from Omroep West surfaced with a shocking story about the deaf-blind Ekrem Koç, who is accused of assaulting enforcement officers.
DNieuws reached out to Ekrem and asked for permission to adapt and translate the article into NGT (Dutch Sign Language). Ekrem also provided additional details to DNieuws, which are mentioned in the article below.
On December 8, 2023, Ekrem was at a tram stop in Scheveningen. As he boarded the tram, someone suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the stop. He was startled and saw up close that it was a woman wearing a blue sweater. He thought she was a police officer. Quickly, he grabbed his phone and typed: “What’s going on?” She replied with one word: “Passport.” Since the police often ask him for his passport, he immediately took it out of his backpack.
He looked at the woman again and noticed that she wasn’t wearing a police uniform. She had on a black hat, a blue sweater, dark jeans, and white shoes. There was also a man with her, talking to her. Ekrem couldn’t hear what they were saying.
He thought they might be criminals. So, he put his passport back in his backpack and stayed away from them. He was very nervous. Why were they so close to him? He grabbed his phone and typed a message to show to the woman and the man: “You are criminals because I don’t see a police uniform. You are trying to take advantage of me because I am visually impaired.”
Because Ekrem didn’t trust the pair, he tried to catch the next tram. But the woman grabbed him again, causing him to panic. He tried to break free but doesn’t exactly remember what happened next. He thinks he might have pushed the woman. Shortly after, he was pushed to the ground, and the man sat on him. Then the police arrived.
Ekrem thought everything would be fine, but that wasn’t the case. The police told him that he had hit the woman and was being arrested for assault. Ekrem was shocked and denied it. He was taken to the police station, where he had to surrender his backpack, cane, and phone, leaving him unable to communicate.
The police offered Ekrem coffee and dinner, but he was too nervous to eat. He was also given magazines, but since the cell was poorly lit, he couldn’t read them.
Later that evening, Ekrem was taken to another station and placed in another cell. The police informed him that he would be interrogated the next day. He was given extra blankets for the night but hardly slept.
Ekrem still didn’t understand. Why was he suspected of assault when he only wanted to defend himself?
The next morning, before his lawyer arrived, Ekrem asked a police officer if there would be a sign language interpreter. The officer asked why that was necessary. Ekrem was very surprised that he had to explain to the officer what a Dutch Sign Language interpreter is. Unfortunately, no interpreter arrived.
For the interrogation, the police had prepared a questionnaire on the computer for Ekrem to fill out. Due to the lack of a dark mode, the screen was not very accessible. Ekrem could read some things, but his vision is very small, so he couldn’t see the entire screen. The lawyer and the police helped him point out the questions.
One of the questions was why he assaulted the enforcement officer. Finally, Ekrem understood. He didn’t even know that the woman and man were enforcement officers. If they had made that clear to Ekrem right away, nothing would have happened.
It also became clear why the enforcement officers asked him for his passport. They thought he was acting suspiciously and seemed interested in a couple of bikes. He also used Google Maps. Ekrem immediately explained to the police that he wasn’t interested in the bikes at all: he often bumps into bikes and uses Google Maps to find his way.
Later in the afternoon, Ekrem was picked up by his sister. An officer told the sister that the enforcement officer detained her brother because she thought he was “fake blind.”
After this incident, Ekrem contacted several deaf-blind individuals. Many people were truly shocked and found it abnormal. Some even thought it had to do with racism because Ekrem is not white. Other deaf-blind individuals have never been asked for their passport by the police. They think it’s because they are white.
In late March, Ekrem received a letter from the Public Prosecutor with a fine of 500 euros for “assault.” Ekrem finds that word harsh. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to talk to the Public Prosecutor and explain the situation.
Ekrem’s lawyer filed a protest and proposed a mediation session. There has been no response to that proposal, but a court hearing is scheduled. It will take place on Wednesday, June 26, in The Hague.
DNieuws also contacted Loraine Agerbeek from the working group Accessibilty from Dovenschap (the Dutch association for the deaf). Ekrem is a highly valued member of the working group. Loraine has stated that Dovenschap will provide support to Ekrem.
Ekrem has been traveling independently for many years. Travelers, conductors, police, and security guards have always been very patient and helpful.
Until December 8, 2023, when Ekrem’s trust completely disappeared.
