Berkin Elvan died after 269 days in the hospital where he had been taken after being severely injured by gas bomb in Okmeydani on 16 June 2013. The gas bomb was thrown by police during an attack on demonstrators supporting the Gezi Park Resistance.

HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) young candidates Ozan Özgenler, Rıdvan Öztürk and Emre Sarıgül visited Berkin Elvan’s family at their house in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Sami Elvan: This country will not allow them to stay

Saying that they should never stop voicing their struggle, Berkin’s father Sami Elvan told the young HDP candidates: “Today they are stealing, but tomorrow they will go away. This country will not let them stay. This country is our country. Together we will bring them to account. It does not matter if you young people are chosen or not. The important thing is to fight. If my child lived today, maybe he would also stand as a candidate. In this country, those who want peace, brotherhood are stabbed, are killed”.

Gülsüm Elvan: Belkin never stopped fighting

Berkin’s mum, Gülsüm Elvan, said that her son never stopped fighting. “The pain never goes away. But the purpose of our fight is to make sure a case is opened for all the children who have lost their future. We need to start from somewhere. Maybe we will be beaten up because we ask for justice. We might be jailed even, but in the end we will win”, she said.

Emre Sarıgül: We came to get strength from you

HDP candidate Emre Sarıgül said: “We did not come here to ask for a vote. We came to get strength from you. We wanted to get strength from you, by looking at your eyes. We lost our children in Ankara, Suruç and many other places. We’ll share this pain together”.