Killed Gezi protester’s baton-wielding aggressor arrested following prosecutor’s appeal

ESKİŞEHİR – Doğan News Agency

Ali İsmail Korkmaz's death after being beaten by aggressors in civilian clothes sparked a national outrage. DHA photo

One of the alleged killers of Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a Gezi protester who was beaten to death by baton-wielding aggressors in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir, was arrested today pending trial.
 
The suspect, identified as S.K., was previously released under judicial control after being taken into custody. The ruling sparked a nationwide outrage, leading prosecutors to file an appeal with a superior court. The appeals court ruled in favor of the prosecution, resulting in S.K. being taken back into detention, as well as his transfer to an Eskişehir prison pending his trial. 
 
Korkmaz, 19, was the fifth person killed since the start of the protests in late May. 
 
Footage that shows assailants in civilian clothes beating protesters with sticks emerged on July 12 as a part of an investigation into the death of Korkmaz, who was buried in his hometown of Hatay on July 11 after spending weeks in hospital with severe injuries sustained in the beating.
 
A group of people are seen in the video beating Korkmaz with sticks that look like baseball bats and pursuing protesters, according to reports.