Radikal has accessed the statement of Ebubekir Harlar, the last person to be remanded in the investigation into the beating to death of university student Ali İsmail Korkmaz in Eskişehir. Harlar, the fourth civilian to be remanded in the investigation, said that, with the remanded suspect policeman Mevlüt Saldoğan having shouted ‘Catch him,’ they tripped Korkmaz up, the three bakery people kicked him and then finally the policeman came and kicked the kid in the head. Harlar, like the three other detainees, has made the defence that, ‘We wanted to help the state police.’
Harlar, who was interrogated on 15 August at Eskişehir Penal Court of the Peace Number 6, explained that he worked as a stoker at a pitta bread bakery and that on the night of the event he went to the Harman Ekmek Bakery in Sanayi Street. Harlar, saying that the police entered and left the bakery that night, said, with reference to the club wielders in the footage, ‘As far as I know, they were plain clothes police officers.’ Harlar, explaining that normally the bakery would not be open so late, said: ‘They were waiting so that the Gezi Park protestors would not damage the bakery or commit looting. The police were there so as to catch the protestors.’ Harlar, stating that at 23.57 a youth ascertained to have been Ali İsmail Korkmaz ran into the street, continued as follows:
I tripped him up
‘A policeman shouted ‘Catch whoever comes.’ People, one of whom I thought to be the bakery’s owner and the other two whom I saw in the bakery, made a move towards the individual. I tripped the individual up with my foot but did not hit him. I acted in a spirit of helping the state’s police. The three bakery people hit him with their hands and feet. After this, the male individual lay on the ground for a while. The person who walked up quickly to the individual lying on the ground and gave the individual three or four kicks in the head was the plain clothes policeman who had shouted, “Catch him.” As the policeman was kicking him, he was shouting, "Who is a son of a bitch, tell me now." After the policeman had delivered the lethal natured kicks, the individual lying on the ground got up and ran away.’
Meanwhile, Muhammet Vatansever, one of the three civilians in the bakery who was remanded on 5 August also explained when questioned that they tripped up Korkmaz so as to help the police, that he gave one kick and then the police officer Mevlüt Saldoğan came and hit him.
The police were wielding clubs
Vatansever said, ‘The person whom I believed to be a policeman was wielding a 40-50 centimetre long object. I do not remember if he used this object. I remember that he delivered kicks.’
Baker İsmail Koyuncu and his private security guard Ramazan Koyuncu also offered the defence that they acted with the intention of helping the police. The second policeman whose statement was taken as a suspect in the investigation was Y.A., who serves with the Anti-Terror Unit. Y.A., in his statement, alleging that Ali İsmail Korkmaz threw stones at him, maintained that he knew Serkan Kavak, who was seen in the vicinity of the police with a piece of oak and was released after having been detained. Y.A., recounting how the four civilians intervened against the demonstrators, said, ‘I gave no order or instruction of any kind to any officials or civilians to beat up or catch the protestors. They just appeared in front of me as I was chasing a group of protestors. I saw that was how the civilians caught them and chased them off. I do not know if they beat them up.’
http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/biz_d ... ik-1147057
