TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are facing scrutiny following the death of a 48-year-old Turkish national who died in a holding cell at Takao Police Station after his body temperature plummeted to severe hypothermic levels, reports the Asahi Shimbun (July 18).
The deceased, identified as Murat Cicek, was arrested in Hachioji City on June 25 for violating the Immigration Control Act. Police took him into custody after he caused a single-vehicle accident while driving a truck and failed to produce a passport or residence card. Investigators later determined his visa had expired on June 3.
Upon his detention, Cicek initially declared no medical issues. However, his health rapidly deteriorated. He vomited in a cell toilet on June 29, and the following day, officers provided him with gastrointestinal medication after he complained of severe stomach pain and constipation.
By the afternoon of July 1, Cicek was taken to a local clinic for an examination. A doctor diagnosed him with suspected acute appendicitis but controversially determined that hospitalization was unnecessary. He was subsequently sent back to the police station.
Collapsed in his cell
Back in custody, Cicek’s body temperature began a fatal decline. At 2:30 p.m., a thermometer recorded his temperature at 35.7 degrees Celsius. By 8:30 p.m., as he prepared his futon for the night, it had dropped to 34.5 degrees. Shortly after midnight on July 2, Cicek complained to guards that he felt “hot,” despite a non-contact thermometer reading a severely hypothermic 34.1 degrees Celsius.
On the morning of July 2, officers discovered Cicek collapsed on the floor of his cell. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, the MPD admitted that while the clinic doctor had instructed officers to contact them if the suspect developed a fever, the police force had no established protocol for handling a suspect suffering from sudden hypothermia.
“Refrain from commenting”
Toru Matsushita, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s General Affairs Director, offered condolences to Cicek’s bereaved family but refrained from directly answering whether the station’s handling of the medical emergency was adequate.
“We will refrain from commenting at this time,” Matsushita said regarding the appropriateness of the response. “We will respond appropriately based on the facts as they become clear.”
According to police, Cicek arrived in Japan in 2019 on a short-term visa. He later switched to a “Designated Activities” visa and worked as a driver for a demolition business, but his most recent application for a visa renewal had been rejected.
