Cemevi

The prosecutor conducting an investigation into the killing of Uğur Kurt at a cemevi during a police crackdown in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood last month has argued that the officer who fired the gun acted “in self-defense.”

Unidentified assailants opened fire injuring three people during a funeral procession at a cemevi, in the southeastern Gaziantep province on June 10. The Alevi community labeled the latest assault targeting their worship place as a “planned attack.”

Uğur Kurt died because the police fired on people. Police brutality, violence and murders have become regular incidents in Turkey. After reading this Facebook message, maybe you will have a better understanding of our frustration This is my service for my non-Turkish-speaking readers. This Facebook message of a witness to the death of Uğur Kurt has been circulating on social media.

Four of 11 suspects who were sent to court after anti-terror raids on May 26 in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood were arrested late May 29 on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of a terrorist organization.”