Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has released a statement on Tuesday to condemn the killing of 22 year old Ahmet Atakan by police in Hatay last night.

Pointing out that it was a basic democratic human right to stage and join meetings and demonstrations, BDP said the government of the Turkish state is continually denying people the right to exercise this democratic right of theirs. The party remarked that people who take to the streets for protest are consistently being subject to brutal and violent interventions and attacks by police forces under the command of the political power.

BDP underlined that almost all demos in Turkey witnessed casualties, and added “The police forces, backed by the support of the political power and judiciary, are deliberately firing at protestors with no mercy even for women and children”. The party noted that hundreds of people have been killed and many others became permanently disabled as a result of police crackdown on social events.

Reminding that 22 year old Ahmet Atakan has also died after he was hit on the head with a tear gas canister, BDP said this pointed to the fact that police have once again targeted people while firing tear gas, just like what was witnessed during earlier protests.

“With the death of Atakan, the number of deaths caused by police since the beginning of Gezi resistance late May has risen to seven. These people were killed by security forces while exercising their democratic right. According to the figures of human rights organizations, the brutal police violence left 7,832 people wounded and ten others blind”, BDP said and noted that the common ground of all these cases was that police deliberately targeted people while firing tear gas and guns.

The party pointed out that the continuation of the police terror without ceasing after so many deaths and injuries indicated the fact that this process is being managed by the government itself.

BDP said the government was responsible for all the deaths and injuries caused by security forces for it rewarded these public officials instead of taking the necessary measures to prevent further similar cases.

The party called on the government to end the police terror and to ensure the trial and punishment of all those responsible for deaths caused by police violence. The party also demanded the governor and police chief of Hatay be urgently laid off from job and subjected to legal action.

BDP ended its statement by underlining that the party would be giving a struggle together with all those resisting in the areas, fighting for democracy and demanding their rights.