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"Erdogan, is there a bigger terrorist than you?: Parents of 14-year-old boy killed by police during protest on trial in

Turkish dictator Erdogan continues to rule with repression and trampling on freedom of speech

Jan 29, 2025 12:41 661

"Erdogan, is there a bigger terrorist than you?: Parents of 14-year-old boy killed by police during protest on trial in  - 1

The parents of a boy killed during a police crackdown on demonstrators in Istanbul in 2013 may be convicted of "insulting the president", the opposition newspaper "Duvar" reports.

The mother and father of Berkin Elvan, who has become a tragic symbol of the police's harsh actions against protesters, are answering the court for their critical statements they made about Recep Tayyip Erdogan several years ago.

At the court hearing yesterday, the prosecutor's office, which accuses the parents of "insulting the president", was given additional time to prepare its statement. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 14.

The charges stem from a statement made by the father in 2020 in which he said that "the real killer is the person who was prime minister at the time and is now president". A few months later, in a statement in January 2021, the mother said that her son was only 14 years old when "he turned out to be a terrorist".

"Is there a bigger terrorist than you? I want my child, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Give me back my child as you took him away", she added.

The prosecutor claims that the use of terms such as "terrorist" and statements such as "the person who killed my child is Recep Tayyip Erdogan" are offensive remarks, and demands a sentence.

Elvan has become one of the symbols of the protests over "Gezi" Park in Istanbul, which have grown into anti-government unrest across the country.

During the protests, he was hit in the head with a police tear gas canister while going to buy bread. The boy died on March 11, 2014, after being in a coma for 269 days, becoming the eighth victim during the protests over "Gezi" Park, reminds "Duvar".

A police officer was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for Elvan's murder. He will be imprisoned if the Court of Cassation, Turkey's highest appeals court, upholds the sentence. The officer has not yet been arrested.