Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

Advisor to Turkish Premier Erdogan paying his respects to the people of Soma...



This photograph is being widely circulated on social media throughout the world. It shows the advisor of Turkish PM Erdogan & Deputy Chief of the Cabinet, Yusuf Yerkel, kicking a protestor in Soma after the mine disaster.

It is emerging that the victim of this assault, 30-year-old Erdal Kocabıyık, returned home only to have to the police later knock at his door. Kocabıyık was arrested under the orders of the public prosecutor, suspected of being an external provocateur. After being brought to the public prosecutor's office, Kocabıyık stated that he had been a miner for ten years and was released following the taking of a brief statement.

Kocabıyık has now filed a complaint with the public prosecution against Yusuf Yerkel for assault.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turk ... cikti.html

[Tim Drayton]

There was an eventful protest earlier today in İstanbul Okmeydanı against both the Soma mining disaster and the death of 14-year-old Berkin Elvan in the course of last summer's Gezi protests. When the police intervened, protestors managed to set a police armoured vehicle on fire using a Molotov cocktail. The police later resorted to using live ammunition and ended up shooting 30-year-old Uğur Kurt in the head (below).

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/Archive/20 ... e/page.jpg

-for some reason the system will not accept the image. To view, copy the above URL and paste into your browser.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?hoakbtmpeplnrzfk#

[Tim Drayton]

Just a rumour that I have heard - no substance as yet, it remains a rumour - was that a sizable number of Syrian refugees who were working illegally at that mine were killed in the disaster, and their bodies have been left down there to avoid controversy.

[Tim Drayton]

There is news that a group of lawyers went to the appropriate public prosecutor's office to make a complaint about the shooting of Uğur Kurt with a live bullet at a demonstration today, and these lawyers were forcibly removed from the public prosecutor's office by security guards.

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/avuka ... si-1193420

[Tim Drayton]

Ali Tezel, and expert on social security who writes newspaper columns and articles about working life, is apparently alleging, based on reports that he has received, that more than 100 illegal Syrian workers were killed in the mine disaster and their bodies left underground. He says that the mineshaft has now been concreted in.

[Maximus]

The moment when Uğur Kurt was shot dead at a protest in Istanbul

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/video- ... sCatID=341

[Tim Drayton]

The moment when Uğur Kurt was shot dead at a protest in Istanbul

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/video- ... sCatID=341

He was shot, but he is not dead and I hope he pulls through.

Meanwhile, the police are saying that they don't know where the bullet came from but are investigating.

[Tim Drayton]

According to one left-wing newspaper, Uğur Kurt is rumoured to have passed away.

http://birgun.net/haber/polis-cemevine- ... 14724.html

[Tim Drayton]

Uğur Kurt was not protesting but was attending a funeral at a Cemevi (Alevi place of worship). According to eye witnesses, he was about 30-40 metres away from the place where the demonstration was being held.

http://birgun.net/haber/polis-cemevine- ... 14724.html

[Tim Drayton]

Thousands of people are said to be congregating in front of the cemevi where Uğur Kurt was shot.

http://www.diken.com.tr/vitrin/okmeydan ... m-cagrisi/