Turkish teenager killed by regime teargas

Turkish boy Berkin Elvan when he was still alive

Not only in Greece lack of democracy. Just more to the east as well.

From Zaman daily in Turkey:

Shot with tear gas canister during Gezi protests, 15-year-old Elvan dies

11 March 2014 /İSTANBUL

Berkin Elvan, 15, who was shot with a tear gas canister during last summer’s Gezi Park protests, has died after a nine-month battle for his health.

Berkin was on his way to buy bread on the evening of June 16 when he was hit at close range with a tear gas canister fired by riot police in İstanbul‘s Okmeydanı neighborhood. Berkin has been in intensive care unit at İstanbul’s Okmeydanı Hospital for over 269 days. In a Sunday press release, Elvan family’s lawyer said that Berkin weight is 16 kilograms and his body’s resistance and brain functions are significantly compromised. …

Berkin’s family announced his death on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. on Twitter.

“We lost our Berkin at 7 a.m. this morning. May he rest in peace.” the message said.

His death raises the number of people killed in the protests to at least eight, including a police officer.

The protests were sparked by a police crackdown on protesters objecting to the razing of a central İstanbul park and quickly turned into nationwide protests demanding more democratic freedoms. Police say some 3 million people took part in demonstrations from May to September.

Police, protesters clash outside hospital

On Tuesday morning, when the news of Elvin’s death broke out, people gathered outside the hospital where Elvin died. Meanwhile, police vehicles arrived outside the hospital, prompting a reaction by the group. …

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Melda Onur told Hürriyet daily that people were silently keeping vigil outside the hospital and people only reacted when the riot police arrived. She criticized the police for not avoiding to fire tear gas near the hospital, which she claimed also affected the inside of the hospital. She claimed that the riot police intervened “without any restraint.”

One man, believed to be in his 20s, was injured in the head when a tear gas canister hit his head. Hürriyet daily published his photo with blood on his head.

Crowd swelling outside forensic medicine

Meanwhile, dozens of people had started to gather outside Institute of Forensic Medicine in İstanbul’s Yeni Bosna neighborhood as Elvin was being brought to the institute for an autopsy.