Indictment on killed Gezi protester accepted

ANKARA - Hürriyet

A prosecutor has accepted an indictment against Ankara police officer A.Ş., who is accused of slaying Gezi Park protester Ethem Sarısülük, but demanded only a maximum of five years in prison for “exceeding the self-defense limit without intent.”

The Ankara 6th High Criminal Court accepted the indictment prepared by Public Prosecutor Veli Dalgalı, which stated that Sarısülük was injured because “the gun [of the police officer] was shot with the effect of his rotational move and while [the gun] paralleled the ground.” The indictment stated that there was no intent to shoot Sarısülük and that A.Ş. should be sentenced to between one year and four months and five years.

Sarısülük was shot on June 1 in Ankara’s city center in Gezi Park protests. The indictment stated that A.Ş. fired two shots while holding the gun above the shoulder line as he moved backward and to the side with the intention of retreating. When A.Ş. turned around, the gun fired a third time while it was parallel to the ground. The indictment that A.Ş. had been hit at least 10 times with rocks.