63-year-old Turkish man initiates 370-km march to commemorate boy killed by PKK

A 63-year-old man has initiated a 370-km march from the Black Sea province of Samsun towards Trabzon, another Black Sea province, to commemorate Eren Bülbül, a 15-year-old boy who was killed this month in clashes between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and security forces, Doğan News Agency reported on Aug. 29.

Osman Koç first took a bus to Samsun last week, from the southwestern province of Burdur, where he resides. After receiving permission from the authorities to undertake in a walk by himself to the district of Maçka in Trabzon, he initiated his march on Aug. 24, holding a Turkish flag.

Koç arrived at the Altınordu district of the Black Sea province of Ordu on Aug. 29. The 63-year-old's journey will continue for another seven days, as he will cover a total of 370 kilometers throughout his entire march.

Osman Koç told the agency he was marching during the day and resting at night.

"I have started a symbolic walk from Samsun and have arrived in Ordu. If God allows me, I will walk until Maçka. Eren was martyred by terrorists. I am walking to commemorate him. He faced an ordeal that he did not deserve at such a young age. I will walk between 30 and 40 km a day. People want to march with me along the way; they take an interest. I thank them," Koç was quoted as saying by the agency.

Eren Bülbül died on Aug. 11, resulting from being wounded while helping the gendarmerie track PKK militants in Maçka, a district 22 kilometers south of Trabzon. The tragic event prompted condemnation from Turkish society as well as political parties.