A Kurdish boy, Tajdîn Adal (12), remains in a critical condition after being struck by an armoured police vehicle in Şırnak (Şirnex), a Kurdish-majority province in Turkey, on 30 August. Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a pro-Kurdish Green Left Party MP, visited the hospital in Batman (Êlih) where Adal is receiving treatment. “Why do these incidents occur more frequently in Kurdish cities than in other provinces?” Gergerlioğlu asked.
Gergerlioğlu emphasised that armoured vehicles should not be patrolling areas where children are at play. “Unless we consider a peaceful solution, armoured vehicles will continue to patrol the same streets where children play in Kurdish cities, leading to numerous accidents,” he stated. He also noted that armoured vehicles have limited visibility, making it difficult for the drivers to spot children.
The MP further pointed out that there have been numerous similar incidents in the past, often with inadequate consequences for those responsible. “Decisions have predominantly leaned towards ‘non-prosecution’ or ‘blaming the child’. We believe there is a political dimension to this,” he added.
Gergerlioğlu called for an urgent, non-conflict and peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue to prevent further tragedies. “If peace had been established and problems resolved within the framework of the Constitution, armoured vehicles wouldn’t be patrolling where children play, and such tragedies would be averted,” he concluded.
