Berkin Elvan is the youngest victim of the 2013 Gezi uprising. The boy was 14 when he was seriously injured by a gas cartridge fired by police on the sidelines of the protests. After 269 days in a coma, he passed away.
Berkin Elvan was 14 years old and just went out to buy bread when he was hit in the head by a tear gas grenade during the Gezi protests in Istanbul in June 2013. After 269 days in a coma, he succumbed to his injuries on March 11, 2014, at the age of 15.
The boy was commemorated where he was targeted by the police on the 16th of June. People participating in the commemoration displayed banners reading “Berkin is here” and “Berkin Elvan is immortal” and chanted slogans as “Berkin is here, we are here”, “Justice for Berkin, justice for everyone”. They also put red carnations on the scene where Berkin was shot and a symbolic bread which signifies the bread that he had gone out to buy when he was hit by the police.
Berkin’s sister Özge Elvan made a statement and said, “The state and its forces that are responsible for our security of life tore our son away from us on this day 8 years ago. Since 16 June 2013, our son could never return our home, to this neighbourhood where he grew up, played ball and went to school. He struggled for his life in a coma for exactly 269 days. While Berkin was fighting to hold on the life, the perpetrators freely continued their lives, administrated the country and said, ‘I gave the order” on meeting stages’.”
‘ERDOGAN MADE THE CROWD BOO BERKIN’S MOTHER’
Recalling that the then prime minister Tayyip Erdogan made a crowd in a rally boo Berkin’s mother Gülsüm Elvan, Özge Elvan continued, “We just wanted a silence of arms and an end to bloodshed and murder of children. The judiciary, which is meant to be independent, has turned a deaf ear to our screams for eight years, and a blind eye to our pain, protecting child killers and trampling on conscience. Fatih Dalgalı, the murderer of our son, continued his job while he should have been imprisoned instead. We know that murderers are protected by the authorities of the state in this country.”
Remarking that the trial has been procrastinated for the past 5 years, Özge Elvan continued, “The murderer who took aim at our son and killed him was charged with “reckless homicide”, asked to be sentenced to a jail term from 2 years and 8 months up to 9 years. We reject such an award-like sentence. The verdict is expected to be concluded in the trial to be held at Çağlayan Courthouse at 10:00 on June 18th. However, we are concerned over a possible open intervention to the trial. We do not accept any verdict ruled by a court board that did not listen to us, the lawyers, the suspect and the witnesses directly.”
‘THOSE WHO GAVE THE ORDER MUST ALSO BE BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT’
Özge Elvan pointed out that the authorities who gave the order must be brought to account before justice, adding, “We demand those who stole our Berkin’s childhood, future and dreams to be brought to account immediately. We demand justice for all children in the person of Berkin. Nobody must forget that ensuring justice for a murderer who killed a child will be the assurance for the future of all children.”
Speaking after, Berkin’s mother Gülsüm Elvan said, “We only demand justice for all children who were killed” and called for participation in the hearing to be held on Friday.
