Mother of Turkish man killed by police on trial for harming suspect’s lawyer’s watch

ISTANBUL

The mother of a Turkish man killed by a police officer in 2014 in Istanbul has gone on trial over damaging the watch of the police officer’s lawyer watch. 

Uğur Kurt was killed by a bullet fired from police officer Sezgin Korkmaz’s weapon on May 22, 2014, while he was attending the funeral of a relative in an Alevi worship house, or cemevi, in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı district. 

Korkmaz was sentenced to pay 12,100 Turkish Liras in compensation over the killing on April 25.

Kurt’s mother, Güllünaz Kurt, was at the final hearing of the case, and was once again in the courthouse 34 days later over damaging the watch of lawyer Tolga Yurdakul, the Duvar news website reported on May 30.

Yurdakul filed a complaint against Uğur Kurt’s family after a brawl in the courthouse resulted in his watch being damaged.  

An indictment was prepared upon his complaint over “causing minor injury and insult.” 

Criticizing the indictment, Kurt family’s lawyer Aslı Kazan said it was based on “untrue” statements. 

“In the official hearing report there is no statement from Yurdakul regarding his watch getting broken. Yurdakul also didn’t make such a statement according to the report written after they left the hearing with eight police officers. However, he later filed an unreal and contradictory complaint,” Kazan said.

She also noted that the prosecutor who prepared the indictment was dismissed and arrested after the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, widely believed to have been orchestrated by what the government and prosecutors call the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). 

“This indictment was prepared by the prosecutor based solely on Tolga Yurdakul’s statements,” she also said, adding that Güllünaz Kurt’s testimony was not taken. 

“She has also been receiving cancer treatment for a long time. One day after the hearing she will have surgery,” Kazan added.