Police Tank Crashes 12 y.o. in Van Province

As the police intervened demonstrators in the eastern province of Van, a police tank known as "scorpion" crashed A.O., a 12 year-old boy. The boy was heavily wounded and taken to Van District Training and Research Hospital. A.O. had a brain surgery. He is in ICU.

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Van Deputy Özdal Üçer he went to the hospital and informed bianet about the child’s injury and condition.

“The young people protest the government’s anti-democratic prosecutions and the situations about the elections on their own initiative in various places of the city. They even celebrate in the Newroz festival particularly.”

Üçer told the scorpion which dived into the crowd of young demonstrators crashed A.O.

 “A.O. is a shoe shiner. He was just a passer-by. After the crash, the youngsters took him to the hospital.”

"The hospital asked his ID first”

According to the information given by A.O.’s family and other youngsters, the child was not been examined for half an hour because he had not his ID card with him. Üçer reacted this situation.

 “In times of emergency the patients must be examined without checking their IDs. A.O. had an injury behind his head. His skull had fractures. That area was cleansed in the operation. He was out of the operation at midnight. He will be kept under medical observation for one day.”

“Even if people demonstrate, the armed forces cannot dive into the crowd. This is unlawful. To make an injured person wait due to the absence of his or her ID card is another problem,” said Özdal Üçer. (BK/BD/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.