Clashes have erupted at a hospital in
Istanbul where a boy has died nine months after he was struck on the
head by a tear-gas canister fired by police, BBC reports.
In Ankara, police fired tear gas to disperse some 2,000 protesters.
The boy, Berkin Elvan, 15, was wounded while on his way to buy bread in June. He had been in a coma ever since.
His death is the eighth linked to last
year’s mass anti-government protests, which began in Gezi Park,
Istanbul, and then spread across Turkey.
The boy’s family announced on Twitter
that their son had died at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) on Tuesday. “We lost our
son. May he rest in peace,” they wrote.
He had been in a coma for 269 days and
his health had deteriorated in recent weeks. Doctors said his weight had
dropped to 16kg (35lb).
Berkin Elvan was 14 when he was hit on
the head by the tear-gas canister in the Istanbul district of Okmeydan.
He was one of thousands of people hurt during last year’s protests.
The protesters were initially angered by
plans to raze Gezi Park and redevelop it, but the police crackdown
galvanised anti-government demonstrators in several cities.
Of the eight people whose deaths were related to the demonstrations, one was a police officer.
After Berkin Elvan’s death was
announced, his mother appeared outside Okmeydani hospital and was
quickly surrounded by mourners. Tributes appeared on social media and
hundreds of people gathered to show their anger.
Riot police soon arrived at the scene and protesters attacked one of their vehicles.
The family then moved to a nearby Alevi
Muslim prayer hall, or cemevi. Outside, the crowd chanted, “Berkin Elvan
is our honour and he is immortal.”
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