Police launch operations in Istanbul's Gülsuyu after leftist protester killed in clashes

ISTANBUL

While the protestors were dispersing after reading a press statement, anonymous people opened fire on them, wounding four and killing Hasan Ferit Gedik. DHA photo

One person was killed yesterday amid a fight between leftist groups and drug dealers in the Asian-side Istanbul neighborhood of Gülsuyu, prompting the police to detain at least 17 people regarding the incidents.

Hasan Ferit Gedik, 21, was shot to death in clashes yesterday as leftist groups again gathered to protest the drug gang’s presence in their neighborhood in Maltepe district.

Gedik’s body was given to his mother at the forensic medicine, in front of which a group chanted the slogans “Martyrs of the revolution are immortal,” and “Hasan Ferit Gedik is immortal.”

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Sebahat Tuncel also paid her condolences to the mourning family in front of the forensic medicine building.

The deputy pinned the blame on the Istanbul Governor’s Office and the Police Department over the incidents.

“The security forces, which use all power of the state in other social incidents, are unfortunately reluctant in defeating gangs in Gülsuyu as well as catching them. We see this like that,” she said.

Voicing the complaints of the residents of Gülsuyu, Tuncel said the gang members, whose names are known, are wandering around the streets holding guns but that police fail to crack down on them.

She strongly condemned the killings that she defined as a “slaughter,” adding that people could not go out after 9 p.m. due to safety fears.

While the protestors were dispersing after reading a press statement, anonymous people opened fire on them, wounding four and killing Gedik, who was reported to be a member of the People’s Front.

One of the wounded protestors, 25-year-old Gökhan Aktaş, was reported to be in critical condition.

In the wake of the deadly clashes, Istanbul police staged several dawn raids in Gülsuyu and Maltepe.

Organized Crime Control Bureau teams have detained around 17 people, including the head of the gang which is suspected to be involved in the clashes, daily Hürriyet reported.

With the operation still continuing, the authorities said the number of detainees could rise.

Gülsuyu, known to be one of the most politicized neighborhoods in Turkey, has been witnessing attacks by drug gangs on locals for months. In August, nine members of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) were shot in the legs in three armed attacks.