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POLICE INTENTIONALLY TARGETED BERKIN ELVAN, FATHER SAYS
16:28 â~@¢ 27.03.14
The father of 15-year-old Gezi victim Berkin Elvan, who died due
to injuries from a tear-gas canister after 269 days in a coma,
has accused police officers of intentionally killing his son, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Sami Elvan explained during testimony to an Istanbul public prosecutor
that officers called them for an interrogation at the police department
10 days before Berkin Elvan was fatally hit by a tear gas canister
as he went to buy bread during a police crackdown on June 15, 2013.
During the trip to the station, Sami Elvan said a few plainclothes
officers sat down and talked with Berkin in his presence. "We were
left alone with what we assumed were police officers: four men and
a woman. Two of those people started to ask Berkin questions. They
mentioned Grup Yorum," he said in reference to the popular leftist
band known for its revolutionary stance and for its members who are
often the target of police raids in connection with the outlawed
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).
"They told him that although they liked Grup Yorum, the band was
opposed to the state, adding they did not approve of Berkin going to
see Grup Yorum and participating in demonstrations. They gave him
'advice,' telling him to stay away from such things [while telling
him], 'Your father is a working man,'" the father said.
As with nearly all of the Gezi victims, Berkin Elvan was an Alevi and
his family lived in Istanbul's Okmeydanı neighborhood, an area where a
number of leftist groups, including the DHKP/C, receive strong support.
Sami Elvan told the prosecutor that the incident led him to believe
that his son was known and closely followed by police, adding that
during the conversation, the police officers gave the boy examples
that could be perceived as threats.
"I believe my son was killed intentionally because from the examples
they gave to Berkin, they said there were people who were condemned
to wheelchairs and became disabled. They said things to him like he
could become one of those people. That's what makes me think Berkin
was hit intentionally," Elvan said.
"They said when they go to jail, many become disabled and others have
paid for it with their lives. They told him he could be one of them,
and warned him to remain with his family. They even showed him leftist
publications, such as the 'YuruyuÅ~_' [March] magazine and told him
that they were wrong," he said.
During his testimony, Sami Elvan gave the description of the officers
who talked with Berkin.
The boy, who turned 15 while in a coma, died after 269 days on March
11, sparking renewed nationwide protests against police brutality
and producing one of the biggest funerals in the country's history.
The Elvan family has also filed complaints against Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan and top government officials for describing their son
as a "terrorist."
Erdogan incited his ruling Justice and development Party (AKP)
supporters to boo Elvan during an electoral rally after the
15-year-old's death.
For her part, mother Gulsum Elvan repeated that her son went out to
buy bread and not to join the protesters on the day he was attacked.
"The prime minister has previously said he was the one who gave the
orders to the police and congratulated their heroic action. That's
why we filed a complaint about him," she said.
In comments after his death, she also said, "It's not God who took
my son away, but Prime Minister Erdogan."
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: Baghdasarian
16:28 â~@¢ 27.03.14
The father of 15-year-old Gezi victim Berkin Elvan, who died due
to injuries from a tear-gas canister after 269 days in a coma,
has accused police officers of intentionally killing his son, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Sami Elvan explained during testimony to an Istanbul public prosecutor
that officers called them for an interrogation at the police department
10 days before Berkin Elvan was fatally hit by a tear gas canister
as he went to buy bread during a police crackdown on June 15, 2013.
During the trip to the station, Sami Elvan said a few plainclothes
officers sat down and talked with Berkin in his presence. "We were
left alone with what we assumed were police officers: four men and
a woman. Two of those people started to ask Berkin questions. They
mentioned Grup Yorum," he said in reference to the popular leftist
band known for its revolutionary stance and for its members who are
often the target of police raids in connection with the outlawed
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).
"They told him that although they liked Grup Yorum, the band was
opposed to the state, adding they did not approve of Berkin going to
see Grup Yorum and participating in demonstrations. They gave him
'advice,' telling him to stay away from such things [while telling
him], 'Your father is a working man,'" the father said.
As with nearly all of the Gezi victims, Berkin Elvan was an Alevi and
his family lived in Istanbul's Okmeydanı neighborhood, an area where a
number of leftist groups, including the DHKP/C, receive strong support.
Sami Elvan told the prosecutor that the incident led him to believe
that his son was known and closely followed by police, adding that
during the conversation, the police officers gave the boy examples
that could be perceived as threats.
"I believe my son was killed intentionally because from the examples
they gave to Berkin, they said there were people who were condemned
to wheelchairs and became disabled. They said things to him like he
could become one of those people. That's what makes me think Berkin
was hit intentionally," Elvan said.
"They said when they go to jail, many become disabled and others have
paid for it with their lives. They told him he could be one of them,
and warned him to remain with his family. They even showed him leftist
publications, such as the 'YuruyuÅ~_' [March] magazine and told him
that they were wrong," he said.
During his testimony, Sami Elvan gave the description of the officers
who talked with Berkin.
The boy, who turned 15 while in a coma, died after 269 days on March
11, sparking renewed nationwide protests against police brutality
and producing one of the biggest funerals in the country's history.
The Elvan family has also filed complaints against Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan and top government officials for describing their son
as a "terrorist."
Erdogan incited his ruling Justice and development Party (AKP)
supporters to boo Elvan during an electoral rally after the
15-year-old's death.
For her part, mother Gulsum Elvan repeated that her son went out to
buy bread and not to join the protesters on the day he was attacked.
"The prime minister has previously said he was the one who gave the
orders to the police and congratulated their heroic action. That's
why we filed a complaint about him," she said.
In comments after his death, she also said, "It's not God who took
my son away, but Prime Minister Erdogan."
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: Baghdasarian