Four inspectors commissioned to investigate Lice clashes: Turkish Interior Ministry

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Two state and two gendarmerie inspectors have been commissioned to investigate yesterday's clashes between villagers and soldiers in Diyarbakır's Lice district that left one dead, the Interior Ministry said in a statement June 29. 

The statement added that the investigation into the case was being carried out by the Diyarbakır Prosecutor's Office and the four inspectors would perform an internal auditing.

Around 250 villagers reportedly marched to the construction site of a gendarmerie office yesterday. As tension mounted, clashes broke out between the group and soldiers, with 18-year-old Medeni Yıldırım being killed by a gunshot wound.

The ministry stated that prior to the soldiers' intervention, the villagers protesting against the construction of a new gendarmerie post set fire to two tents and a container belonging to workers at the yard, and also used stones and sticks against the security forces.

"After that, the security forces at the gendarmerie post warned the group and asked them to disperse. However, the group continued its attack despite all warnings. Tear gas was used and [officers] fired into the air after they entered the facility through the wire fences," the statement said.


Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials denounced the incident as a provocation attempt against the ongoing peace process, saying that the new facility was merely intended to replace an old one.