Tahir Elçi
| Tahir Elçi | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1966 Cizre, Şırnak Province, Turkey |
| Died |
November 28, 2015 (aged 48–49) Diyarbakır, Turkey |
| Education | Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer, activist |
Tahir Elçi (1966 – November 28, 2015) was a Kurdish lawyer and the chairman of Diyarbakır Bar Association. He was killed in the Sur district of Diyarbakir in the southeastern region of Turkey on 28 November 2015.[1][2] He was shot once in the head while giving a press statement at the "Four-legged Minaret" of Sheikh Matar Mosque calling for an end to violence.[1]
Elçi was detained several times and received death threats after saying the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) should not be regarded as a terrorist organization.[3] In October 2015, Elçi was detained by Turkish authorities on charges of disseminating "terrorist propaganda" on behalf of the PKK.[1]
Controversy surrounding death
The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) called the shooting a "planned assassination," and protests erupted in Turkey after Elçi's killing.[1] Elçi's brother Ahmet Elçi was quoted as saying that his brother was "murdered by the state."[4] A Turkish official later issued a statement saying that "we aren't ruling out the possibility that a third party directly targeted him."[3] Suspected perpetrators include the Grey Wolves, A Turkish ultra-nationalist mafia-like political organization responsible for many high-profile assassinations including the Pope John Paul II assassination attempt in which he was shot four times but survived, a group which has also influenced military coups in Turkey and has murdered thousands of PKK-linked activists, politicians & militant leaders.[5]
Anti-government protests in Turkey with crowds shouting "You can't kill us all" followed the attack.[1][3]
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tahir Elçi. |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bozarsian, Mahmut (November 28, 2015). "Protests as top Kurdish lawyer gunned down in Turkey". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Tahir Elçi killed in clashes". Milliyet (in Turkish). November 28, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Pro-Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elci shot dead in Turkey". BBC. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ↑ "Tahir Elçi’nin abisi: Net olan tek şey var; kardeşimi devlet katletti" (in Turkish). ANF. November 28, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Diyarbakir:-the-murder-of-lawyer-activist-Tahir-El%C3%A7i-fuels-conflict-between-Turks-and-Kurds-36016.html