‘With longing, son…’: 7th year since Berkin Elvan shot with a tear gas canister in Gezi
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It has been seven years since 14-year-old Berkin Elvan was shot on his head with a tear gas canister fired by a police officer during Gezi Resistance in Okmeydanı, İstanbul in 2013. Having turned 15 while in coma, Elvan lost his life 269 days later on March 11, 2014.
The family of Berkin Elvan has commemorated him with a message shared on social media. The family has said the following on Twitter:
"It has been seven years. The time that has passed since then has not healed our wounds. We wanted not a single more child to be killed, there were other children targeted by stray bullets.
"We want all children to live the childhood that Berkin could not live. We want JUSTICE for Berkin. With longing, son..."
7 yıl geçti.
— Berkin Elvan (@Berkin_Elvan) June 16, 2020
Geçen zaman yaralarımızı sarmadı.
Başka çocukların öldürülmemesini istedik, kör kurşunların hedefinde çocuklar oldu.
Berkin’in yaşayamadığı çocukluğu bütün çocukların yaşamasını istiyoruz. Berkin için ADALET istiyoruz.
Özlemle oğul…#BerkinElvan pic.twitter.com/pRhgT3ci4D
'I want justice'
Later in the day, Berkin Elvan was commemorated at the spot where he was shot. While the ceremony was attended by a limited number of people due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, his family left bread and carnations and lit candles in memory of Berkin Elvan
As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Gülsüm Elvan, the mother of Berkin Elvan, briefly said the following:
"It has been seven years since my child was taken away from me. While we had been seeking justice for seven years, they killed a black person who said 'I cannot breathe'. It has been seven years since Ali İsmail was kicked. It has been seven years since the police officer who shot Ethem Sarısülük said 'I fired three shots.' There is no investigation into the death of Ahmet Atakan. The trial of Mehmet Ayvalıtaş is still in suspension. The murderer of Abdullah Cömert is free. The murderer who threw the last kick to Ali İsmail is free.
"It has been seven years since my child was shot and it has been six years since we laid him to rest. While were were laying his deceased body weighing only 16 kilo to rest, while someone was making the crowds boo me and declaring my son a 'terrorist'... Excuse me, President, but it is not the US, but Turkey. I do not trust your sincerity.
"I want justice. The more I wanted justice, the more children were massacred and mothers cried. I have been saying justice for seven years."
'Police keep killing children'
Father Sami Elvan also stated, "While we insistently say 'Let children live, let them grow up and eat candies,' the police of this state with blood on their hands keep killing children and massacring people on the streets. We will keep struggling to the end so that not a single more child die and not a single more person is killed by the state."
Referring to the judicial process into the killing of Berkin Elvan, father Sami Elvan said, "Our trial has been going on for four years. Even the name has not yet been properly identified, we are closing to the nd. We do not know if he will be penalized, we saw it in previous cases. But we will never give up our struggle for justice." He also reminded the audience that the next hearing of the case would be held on September 23, 2020.
11 people lost their lives in Gezi
According to the figures shared by the Ministry of Interior, 2.5 million people in total joined the Gezi resistance in 2013.
11 people lost their lives in incidents related with the law enforcement: 14-year-old Berkin Elvan, 21-year-old Hasan Ferit Gedik and 20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalıtaş in İstanbul; 19-year-old Ali İsmail Korkmaz in Eskişehir; 26-year-old Ethem Sarısülük in Ankara; 22-year-old Abdullah Cömert and Ahmet Atakan in Antakya and 18-year-old Medeni Yıldırım in Diyarbakır.
What happened?On June 16, 2013, Berkin Elvan was hospitalized due to grave head injuries after the police intervention in the district of Okmeydanı in İstanbul. When he was admitted to the Okmeydanı Research Hospital, his heart had reportedly stopped already. Suffering from a brain hemorrhage, Elvan went through at least five surgeries. On January 5, 2014, Elvan turned 15 in his comatose. He died on March 11, 269 days after being shot. While the prosecutor investigating the incident was changed for six times, the investigation was completed on December 7, 2016. Prepared by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the indictment demanded that police officer F.D., who was referred to as the only defendant, be penalized on charge of "killing with eventual intent." The 11-page indictment sent to the İstanbul 17th Heavy Penal Court has been accepted. A verdict of non-prosecution has been given for 42 police officers, who previously made their depositions as part of the investigation into the death of Elvan. Speaking to bianet, Oya Aslan, one of the attorneys for the Elvan family, stated that a lawsuit was filed only against a single police officer who was on the scene of incident and added that since the lawsuit was filed for "killing with eventual intent", rather than for "wilful murder", it has reduced the foreseen prison sentence to 20 years. The case is still continuing. Its next hearing will be held on May 8, 2019. |
(EMK/SD)