Turkish police shoot boy dead in Diyarbakır during altercation

DİYARBAKIR

AA Photo

A 16-year-old boy was shot dead by police late on Dec. 16 during a battle with police in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Abdülkadir Çakmak, was shot at least three times, twice in the head and once in the chest, by police in the Yoğurt Pazarı area of the province’s Sur district.

The incident came after police intervened against the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), the youth and public order arm of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as the latter was conducting operations in the neighborhood.

The victim’s aunt, Nurten Çayır, accused police of "executing" her nephew, adding that there were witnesses to the incident as well as camera footage. "[President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan gave the order, and the police shot [him]," she said.

The boy's father, Murat Çakmak, denied that his son had been involved in any incident, adding that he had nothing in his hands when he was shot.

Çakmak reportedly exited an Internet cafe to purchase cigarettes when he was allegedly shot by masked police waiting at the top of the street.

Diyarbakır police issued a statement after the shooting, noting that details surrounding Çakmak’s death would emerge following an autopsy.

Police also said they had seized ammunition and explosives in the course of the operation against the group.

The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office has released footage showing scenes from the clashes.