Istanbul – North-Press Agency
On Monday, a young Syrian was killed by Turkish security forces in the southern Turkish province of Adana.
Turkish media outlets claimed that the young man, Ali Hamdan al-Asani from the southern countryside of Aleppo, refused to stop for security forces, and instead fled, which led to his being shot and wounded in the leg.
The family is refuting
Private sources close to the young man's family told North-Press that the family of the deceased refute what Turkish media outlets published and confirmed that he was wounded in the back, and that the young man fled because he was violating the ban on movement. He fled because he was under the age of 20 and was afraid of being fined.
Angry responses
The incident sparked angry reactions among Syrian refugees in Turkey, who expressed shock, demanding the need to open an investigation and to not be silent about the incident.
Syrian refugee Anas al-Hussein said on his Facebook account that "Syrian blood has become permissible to be shed from supporters as well."
He added, "After the incident of killing the young Ali Hamdan al-Asani by the Turkish police in the city of Adana, I ask the Syrians who hold Turkish citizenship to carry out their responsibilities and demand opening of an official investigation via the legitimate ways because they enjoy citizenship and they criticize Syrians on almost every occasion."
He also said, "It is true that the young man violated the government decisions and left his house, but does this mean that he is a criminal and deserves to be killed? Or was he wanted for a terror crime and wanted to escape from the police by using violence, forcing the police to defend themselves? Or is there another reason?"
He stressed that the only solution to answer these questions is to demand the opening of an investigation aimed at finding the truth and holding the Turkish government responsible.
He continued, "Even if the young man is Turkish, European, or Arab, is this the work of a police agency? Has this happened in the countries of Arab dictatorial regimes? Has such a story happened in a country that is not governed by law?"
Opposition comment
Activists have called on opposition organizations concerned with Syrian refugees in Turkey, led by the Syrian-Turkish Joint Commission /National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution, to follow up on the case of the young man's killing.
Against the backdrop of these demands, the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution issued a limited explanatory statement, of which North-Press obtained a copy, which says: "The Joint Syrian-Turkish Committee contacted officials of the Turkish Ministry of Interior to find out the details of the painful incident that took place in Adana that resulted in the death of the young Ali al-Asani."
Interior Ministry officials confirmed that the incident took place according to inspection procedures and without prior knowledge of the identity or nationality of the young man, as the police asked the young man to stop and to comply with the inspection orders, but he did not comply after he was asked to stop several times, so the police fired a warning shot. The young man did not stop, so he was directly shot.
Earlier this month, Turkey imposed a ban on movement on people over the age of 65 and under the age of 20, asking them to commit to staying in their homes because of the coronavirus, and indicated that fines and legal procedures would be imposed on violators of the resolution.