Three children detained at Children’s Day celebrations after Berkin protest

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Three police officers forcibly detain a young protester wearing a t-shirt with Berkin Elvan's portrait after he shouted 'Berkin Elvan is immortal.' DHA Photo

Three children were detained by police for shouting the slogan “Berkin Elvan is immortal” in honor of a 15-year-old who was killed by officers during the Gezi Park revolt, at an official celebration for April 23 Children’s Day in Istanbul’s Haliç neighborhood.

Istanbul Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, who oversaw the police’s repeated crackdowns on Gezi protesters last year, took the stage in Feshane on April 23 as part of the Children’s Day celebrations.

Two children subsequently opened a poster reading “Berkin Elvan is immortal” and shouted slogans. The police detained the children and put their hands on their mouths to prevent them from interfering with the governor’s festivities any further.

At that time, a third child in the area also started to shout similar slogans. Police also intervened to detain the third child.



A plainclothes police officer also attacked journalists who attempted to shoot the incident with their camera.

Elvan died on March 11 after spending 269 days in a coma after being struck in the head by a police gas canister as he stepped out to buy bread in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood last June.