Child abuse allegation sparks outrage in southeastern city

ŞANLIURFA

An allegation of a Syrian national committing sexual abuse against a 9-year-old child in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa has led the outrage and flared tension as local residents poured into the streets to protest the incident.

On Aug. 15, 21-year-old F.K., only identified by initials, who works in a bakery in the Bozova district, was handed over to the police by residents over allegedly abusing a 9-year-old boy named M.K.N.

After his statement at the police station, F.K. was arrested.

After the abuse incident was learned, a large number of residents in the district poured the streets and initiated a protest march.

While some of the demonstrators started a sit-in protest outside the governor’s office building where the tension reached the highest level, reinforcement teams were dispatched to the district.

The police employed water cannons to disperse the protestors, while some individuals resorted to pelting police vehicles with stones. In response, the police deployed tear gas and dispersed the crowd.

Addressing the situation, the Şanlıurfa Governor’s Office released a statement reading, "On Aug. 14, 2023, at approximately 10:15 p.m., we received a report from the state hospital in the Bozova district regarding a criminal incident. Our teams were immediately dispatched to the state hospital."

"Upon arriving at the hospital, the victim [M.N.], a child, reported that he was sexually abused by the suspect [F.K.], a foreign national. Consequently, an expeditious investigation was launched, leading to the apprehension of the suspect. On Aug. 15, the foreign national suspect was presented in court and subsequently arrested,” the statement said.