Father of slain Gezi victim to be moved to high security mental hospital

ISTANBUL – Radikal

Muzaffer Sarısülük, has lived alone in nature in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum for more than 23 years. A former professor, Sarısülük was diagnosed with schizophrenia. DHA photo

Muzaffer Sarısülük, the father of a slain Gezi Park protester who is facing 12 years in jail on accusations of damage to public property, will be moved into a high security mental hospital, according to a court order.

Sarısülük, who has a mental disorder and lives alone in nature in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum, lit fires under power distribution lines and drew graffiti after learning of his son’s death. He was subsequently tried on charges of “damaging public property.”

His son, Ethem Sarısülük, was shot during a confrontation with police during the Gezi protests in central Ankara on June 1. The victim’s death was confirmed on June 13, sparking outrage over the use of a firearm by the police. 

If the ruling on Muzaffer Sarısülük is upheld, he will be transferred to a mental hospital in Samsun. His lawyer, Kazım Bayraktar has warned that a stay in the mental hospital could worsen Sarısülük’s condition, noting that his client was used to living alone in the wilderness for more than 23 years.

The peculiar life of Muzaffer Sarısülük, who is a teacher by profession but was diagnosed with schizophrenia, was narrated by Servet Somuncuoğlu in a book published in 2008. 

As Sarısülük faces imprisonment, the murder trial into his son’s death is ongoing, while the officer suspected of shooting the victim is being tried without detention.

The police officer, identified only as A.Ş., faces up to five years of prison on charges of “involuntary manslaughter in self-defense.” He was reassigned to the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa after the trial was launched.