Turkey asks Geneva to remove picture linking Erdoğan to Berkin Elvan

GENEVA - Agence France-Presse

Swiss photojournalist Demir Sonmez poses on April 25, 2016 next to a picture showing a demonstation he took at the Place des Nations in Geneva - AFP photo

Turkey has asked authorities in Geneva to remove an exhibition picture that blames President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the death of a Turkish teen injured during anti-government demonstrations, a Swiss official said April 25.    

Berkin Elvan, the 15-year-old victim of 2013 Gezi Park protests, was shot by a tear gas canister by police and died in March 2014 after 269 days in coma. Erdoğan was prime minister when Elvan was injured.

His injury and subsequent death helped galvanise opposition to Erdoğan's government and the heavy-handed tactics used by the police.
 
His picture is featured in a photography exhibition across the street from the United Nations complex in Geneva, which is supported by the city and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.
 
A caption underneath the picture reads: "My name is Berkin Elvan. The police killed me, on the order of Turkey's prime minister."  
 
A spokesman for the canton of Geneva, Philippe d'Espine, told AFP that Turkish representatives had asked for the picture to be taken down.
 
The spokesman said a decision on the request would be taken during a weekly meeting of the municipal government on April 26.    

The exhibition showcases the work of photographer Demir Sönmez, a Swiss citizen of Kurdish and Armenian origin, who told AFP his objective was to highlight "the multiple struggles of the people."