Civilians on their way to a picnic fired upon by soldiers in Hakkari, Turkey

Civilians in Derindere (Çemêkurk) village of the Derecik (Rubarok) district of Hakkari (Colemêrg) in Turkey were attacked by soldiers as they were on their way to have a picnic, Mesopotamia News Agency has reported.

Reşit Ekinci, a young man, received a head injury as a result of the soldiers’ gunfire. Eyewitnesses to the incident said that a group of young people were fired upon from the police station on 31 December at noon while they were on their way to Çelikan Hill, just outside the village of Derindere, to have a picnic.

In the footage, it is evident that the young people were also subjected to verbal abuse by the soldiers. Sait Dede, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) deputy of Hakkari, shared a post on his twitter account about the attack.

Derecik ilçemizde bir yurttaşımız askerler tarafından piknik yapılan alanda silahla vurularak yaralandı. Derecik ilçesinde yurttaşlarımıza sistematik olarak uygulanan bu vahşeti kınıyor, yetkililerden derhal bir açıklama bekliyoruz. pic.twitter.com/e3slAOAxqS

— Dr. Sait Dede (@DrSaitDede) December 31, 2020

“A citizen was shot by soldiers in the picnic area. He was injured. We condemn this brutality that is systematically inflicted on our citizens in the Derecik district and expect an immediate statement from the authorities”, he noted.