CENTRAL NEWS
The Human Rights Association (İHD) Children’s Rights Commission made a written statement regarding the killing of 16-year-old Özcan Erbaş by soldiers of the Turkish army, in the Derecik district of Colemerg.
The statement revealed that Özcan was on a trip with three friends to have a picnic and collect acorns on November 30, when he was killed by a bullet fired at his back from the borderline. According to the information received from eyewitnesses; the Turkish soldiers opened fire without warning, about 400 meters away from Turkey-Iraq (Bakur-Bashur) border.
The IHD Children’s Rights Commission statement included information from Özcan’s uncle who explained that the young person was wounded by a gun and died in the hospital and that the soldiers did not aid the youngster who was lying in blood on the ground, so he had to carry his nephew to the road to find a car.
The commission stated: “Every year, people are killed or injured in the border regions of the Kurdish geography due to arbitrary fire by law enforcement officers. As a result of these deaths and injuries, the violations cannot be prevented and become permanent since effective, objective and transparent investigations are not conducted against the perpetrators. ”
The statement pointed out that the State’s policy of impunity caused public officials to behave recklessly in using weapons. The statement continued: “As human rights defenders, we will not get used to this situation. We declare once again that we will fight for justice for every child whose right to life and development is taken away. By repeat tirelessly, we remind Turkish authorities that Turkey is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which contractually guarantees the right of all children to live and to develop. In accordance with the obligations contained in the agreement, we urge Turkish authorities to identify all public officials who are responsible for the death of 16-year-old Özcan Erbaş and to initiate an effective administrative and criminal investigation process.”
