Special operations police officer Serkan Akbulut received a prison sentence of 19 years and five months for killing Emrah Gezer because the young man was singing a Kurdish song in a bar.

Emrah Gezer was celebrating a friend's birthday together with his brother Ramazan Gezer in a bar in Ankara on 27 December 2009. A quarrel evolved when he sang a Kurdish song. The situation escalated and police officer Akbulut shot Gezer.

"Life sentence reduced to 19 years and five months"

The final hearing of the trial was held before the Ankara 9^th High Criminal Court on Thursday (8 September). Special operations police officer Akbulut was handed down imprisonment of 16 years and eight months on charges of "premeditated murder" and an additional sentence of two years and eight months under allegations of "bodily injury". Consequently, he received prison terms of 19 years and five months in total.

bianet talked to Murat Yılmaz, joint attorney of the Gezer family. He said that Akbulut was initially sentenced to a life sentence which was then reduced on the grounds of unjust provocation. Yılmaz announced to appeal against the mitigation of the sentence.

According to the lawyer, Emrah Gezer's brother Ramazan stated that the police shot and injured his brother before he shot into the air three times. The court on the other hand stuck with the statement that the first shot came from Ramazan Gezer and thus deemed a provocation of the police officer as given, Yılmaz summarized the proceedings.

Yılmaz emphasized the fact that the court initially handed down a life sentence on charges of "premeditated murder". This sentence was reduced to 15 years due to unjust provocation and good conduct. The sentence was then increased to 16 years and eight months because Akbulut used his service weapon for the offence. The additional sentence of two years and eight months stemmed from having injured a guest called Zafer who was in the bar as well, Yılmaz added.

"We are not satisfied with the decision"

Yılmaz indicated that according to the file and under legal aspects neither Emrah Gezer nor any of his friends incited any provocation. He indicated that Sinem Uludağ, one of the defendants in the Kumkapı murder trial, started provoking them when they started singing Kurdish songs.

Yılmaz claimed that Sinem Uludağ and Serkan Akbulut told them "This is Turkey. You cannot sing in Kurdish".

According to the statements of the witnesses, first of all the police officer took his weapon and shot. Zafer, the visitor who got injured during the incident, was hit by the first bullet, Yılmaz explained.

"It is very clear that the first shot was made by the police. That is why we are not satisfied with the decision and the reason for our appeal". (EKN/VK)