اردو
  • Gunmen shoot dead top Kurdish lawyer in southeast Turkey

    Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elci Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elci

    Gunmen have opened fire on a gathering in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish province of Diyarbakir, killing a senior Kurdish lawyer.

    The attack was carried out on Saturday in Sur district, when Tahir Elci, the president of the Bar Association in Diyarbakir, along with 40 other activists, were giving a press statement.

    Shortly after the shooting police were engaged in clashes with the assailants.

    Medical sources later said that Elci sustained gunshot wounds to his head and died.

    “The moment the statement ended, the crowd was sprayed with bullets,” said Omer Tastan, a local official from the pro-Kurdish HDP party, adding, “A single bullet struck Elci in the head.”

    Witnesses also said the clashes left three policemen and an unknown number of journalists injured.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared in a speech shortly after the incident that a policeman also lost his life.

    The office of Diyarbakir governor announced a curfew in the area after the incident.

    Elci had faced harsh criticism for saying that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is not a terrorist group on Turkish TV Channel . He was detained in October for alleged “terrorist propaganda” pending trial.itary operations.