A 16-year-old shepherd, Muharrem Aksem from the Çalışkan (Micit) neighbourhood of Urfa (Riha) in Turkey, was found dead in the meadow at a location where special operation forces do target practice. His physical integrity was lost, and there were objects that penetrated his body. His relatives could not tell if they were bullets or shrapnel pieces.
His family started searching for the boy when he did not return home in the evening and found his dead body in the woods. The family’s lawyer said that the autopsy report was not yet prepared by the Mehmet Akif İnan hospital, where his body was taken, or given to the family until now.
Neighbourhood residents have told Mezopotamya Agency that the special operation forces had done target practice in the area where Muharrem Aksem’s dead body was found until 18:00. Given that such training is carried out by these forces twice a week, neighbours of the family say that they believe that the special operation forces have killed Aksem.
There are video images shot by shepherds a few months ago in this area showing the security forces doing target practice and an ambulance coming there due to an incident involving an injury. Again, in a video at the location, it can also be seen that clusters of smoke are rising from the ground.
Muharrem Aksem was buried on the 25th of March in the graveyard of the neighbourhood. There were desperate cries of lament at the funeral and his house. After the funeral, relatives of Aksem went to the spot where his body was found. Many empty cases of gas bombs and long-barreled weapons were found at the location. There is no warning sign or protection in this area where target practice is carried out twice a week. The slope facing the target practice area and at a distance of 500 meters to it is the place where Aksem’s body was found.
Relatives of Aksem reached the place where his body was found lamenting for the dead. Aksem’s blood was still on the ground despite the rain that fell all night long. His relatives looked for missing parts of Aksem’s body between the stones. They also observed that the stones had broken in the same spot. And many empty cases were found at the same place.
