Turkish police killed and tortured a Kurdish villager in the province of Çanakkale, western Turkey, after he was allegedly victim to a racist attack by his neighbours, Mezopotamya News reported on Tuesday.
The Cabir family, which immigrated to the province from predominantly Kurdish province of Van (Wan) 15-16 years ago, was racially attacked by the Özenç family during a dispute over a field, reported Arti Gerçek.
Enver Özenç lost his life during the dispute and the police arrived to intervene. The police then allegedly murdered Kurdish villager Süleyman Cabir and tortured his family members.
According to the Cabir family lawyer, Zilan Leventoğlu, the police shot Cabir with precision and subjected his family to severe torture.
“The gendarmerie [police] shot at the family members several times, aiming at the father and hitting him under the chest. They were badly beaten by the gendarmerie, not only shot with a gun,” Leventoğlu said.
The officer that killed Cabir was reportedly detained, but the commander who gave the order was not.
Three of Cabir’s sons, Yücel, Yavuz, and Ömer, were injured in the police attack but were not taken to hospital. Cabir’s sons were detained, taken to the police station, and later arrested.
A confidentiality order has been put on the case, Mezopotamya reported. The status of the detained officer accused of Süleyman Cabir’s murder with a firearm, and information about the Özenç family, are still unknown.
