Man beaten to death in 'racist' attack

ANTALYA

A young man has died from head injuries after being beaten by a group of nationalists in the town of Kaş in the southern province of Antalya on Sept. 3, with his cousin claiming the attack was racially motivated, media outlets have reported.

Mahir Çetin and his cousin Vedat Çetin, who are of Kurdish ethnicity, were reportedly attacked by a group of 20-30 nationalists in the touristic town of Kaş. The group verbally insulted the two with racist slurs and then proceeded by physically assaulting both of them, according to the cousin’s testimony.

Mahir Çetin sustained heavy injuries due to the blows he received to his head, while his cousin fainted at the scene after being hit by a bottle.

Mahir Çetin died in hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage, which was confirmed by an autopsy report. Mahir Çetin was buried on Sept. 5 in a funeral ceremony held in Batman’s Sinan village by his family.

One of the seven suspects detained by the Kaş Police Department as a part of the investigation has been arrested after being interrogated by the authorities.

Vedat Çetin reacted angrily against the fact that so few suspects were detained by the police, saying there were more people involved in the attack. He said that the truth would be known if security cameras close to where the incident took place were examined by the police.

“The group did not use any sharp objects,” he said, adding that people around them who witnessed the attack did nothing to prevent the attackers.

Mahir Çetin’s father, Abdulsamet Çetin, said they would monitor the investigation closely and follow the rule of law until all the suspects involved in killing his son were punished. The father added that he would file an official complaint against media outlets who attempted to justify the group’s actions.