More than three and a half years after the Kurdish man Cihan Can was killed in an accident by a police van, a court in Amed has sentenced the perpetrator to a fine. The amount is less than the police officer's monthly salary.
The defendant was conspicuous by his absence, his defense lawyer appeared satisfied, the relatives on the bench of the co-plaintiff reacted in shock: more than three and a half years after the accidental death of the Kurd Cihan Can in a Turkish police van, the Diyarbakır regional court ruled on Monday that police officer Hakan Avcı was to be sentenced to three years in prison for manslaughter. The sentence was reduced to six months and converted into a fine. In the end, he would have to pay 21,200 liras, which is the equivalent of around 730 euros. In other words, the fine was less than the police officer's monthly salary.
The court thus fell well short of the public prosecutor's demand, who called for a prison sentence of two to six years for Avcı. The co-prosecution saw the crime as murder and requested that the main hearing be suspended and referred to a large criminal chamber. The defense demanded that the proceedings be discontinued.
Officer Hakan Avcı ran over civil engineer Cihan Can in Amed with a police van on 27 December 2019. The 33-year-old was walking late in the evening in the borough of Bağlar and was trying to cross a street when he was hit head-on. Can died at the scene of the accident. Footage from a surveillance camera documented the incident.
The case caused heavy protests. The police officer responsible for Can's death said that he mistook the man for firewood from a nearby bakery. A total of six expert reports were obtained during the course of the investigation and the proceedings with the conclusion that the person who caused the accident was solely responsible for Cihan Can's death.
An example of Turkish justice
“The verdict is an example of what Turkish justice is,” said Neytullah Can after the trial. The supposed punishment for killing his brother is not a punishment, but rather a reward. “Our idea of justice is different. We demand that the police officer go to prison for the murder of Cihan Can.” The verdict is not yet final. The lawyers announced in the courtroom that they would appeal the decision.
