Family, friends commemorate Gezi victim Abdullah Cömert in anniversary of death

ANTAKYA – Doğan News Agency

Abdullah Cömert's mother Hatice (2R) and father Edip (R) cry during the gathering in memory of their son in Antakya, late June 3

Gezi victim Abdullah Cömert, who was killed during a police crackdown on last year’s protests in the southern province of Hatay, was commemorated June 3, the anniversary of his death.

Hundreds of people, including family and friends, gathered in central Antakya at 10:45 p.m. to lay flowers at the spot where the 22-year-old was hit by a police tear gas canister.

The mothers of other two Gezi victims from the same province, Ali İsmail Kormaz and Ahmet Atakan, also joined the Cömert family. Korkmaz died July 10, 2013, after spending a month in a coma following a savage beating by plainclothes police officers in Eskişehir, where he was studying. Atakan, meanwhile, was killed during a police crackdown in Antakya on Sept. 10 as he was participating in a demonstration supporting the protests of students in Ankara against the construction of a road through Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ).

A lawsuit into Cömert’s killing is ongoing, with prosecutors demanding up to 25 years in prison for a police officer on charges of “intentional killing” based on the testimonies of nine witnesses who confirmed that the Gezi victim was hit by a canister fired by police.

The suspect police officer, A.K., denied having targeted Cömert, claiming that he fired tear gas in a “controlled manner,” but a key witness told the court that the vehicle from which the tear gas was fired was no more than 30 meters from the protesters.