Prosecutors seek aggravated life sentence for killed bar head

DİYARBAKIR

Turkish prosecutors sought an aggravated life sentence on March 26 for a suspect accused in the 2015 killing of Tahir Elçi, the former head of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, and two police officers. 

The Diyarbakir Chief Prosecutor’s Office indicted PKK/YPG terrorist Uğur Yakışır for disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state, first-degree murder, and related crimes.

Three other police officers are accused of manslaughter by deliberate negligence.

Elçi, who was also a vocal human rights activist, was killed in broad daylight on Nov. 28, 2015, in the central Sur district of the city while making a public statement to draw attention to the damage done to the district’s historic sites, including the area surrounding the famous Four-Legged Minaret.

Two police officers were also killed when gunmen opened fire from a car near the gathering.

Elçi was buried at Yenikoy AsrıCemetery in Diyarbakır with thousands gathering for his funeral.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union. It has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.