Turkish Protest enters fifth day claims thousands injured

A second fatality has been confirmed as protests in Turkey enter their fifth day. With several thousands already reported injured Turks continue to flood social media with video, images, and allegations of police brutality.

On Monday, the Union of Turkish Doctors confirmed the death of 22-year-old Abdullah Cömert in the city of Antakya, which is located in the province of Hatay, near Turkey’s border with Syria.

The fatality was the second so far to be confirmed since protests flared up on Friday in Istanbul and Ankara, and sprouted demonstrations nationwide.

Abdullah Cömert, photo from facebook

According to Turkish news reports Cömert died of injuries sustained after being shot by unidentified gunmen, though many users via social media were placing the blame on local police forces.

The BBC has reported that Cömert was a member of the youth wing of the opposition Republican People’s Party, but did not speculate as to the exact cause of death.

Earlier on Monday, the Turkish Doctors’ Union announced that 20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalitas, the first reported fatality since Friday, was hit by a car in the Mayis district of Istanbul on Sunday.

Though many Turkish social media users again placed blame on police forces for the death of Ayvalitas, any such link had yet to be confirmed. According to the BBC the vehicle in question ignored warnings to stop and ploughed into a crowd of demonstrators.

According to the Turkish Medical Association, which was cited by CNN International on Monday, the violence has so far left 3,195 people injured, with 26 in serious or critical condition.

Source : RT