Prosecutors seek aggravated life sentence for killed bar head
DİYARBAKIR
Turkish prosecutors sought an aggravated life sentence on March 26 for a suspect accused in the 2015 killing of Tahir Elçi, the former head of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, and two police officers.
The Diyarbakir Chief Prosecutor’s Office indicted PKK/YPG terrorist Uğur Yakışır for disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state, first-degree murder, and related crimes.
Three other police officers are accused of manslaughter by deliberate negligence.
Elçi, who was also a vocal human rights activist, was killed in broad daylight on Nov. 28, 2015, in the central Sur district of the city while making a public statement to draw attention to the damage done to the district’s historic sites, including the area surrounding the famous Four-Legged Minaret.
Two police officers were also killed when gunmen opened fire from a car near the gathering.
Elçi was buried at Yenikoy AsrıCemetery in Diyarbakır with thousands gathering for his funeral.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union. It has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
