Killing of Kemal Kurkut

Background

Kemal Kurkut was a 23-year-old university student who was killed by Turkish police officers during the Newroz festivities in Diyarbakır on 21 March 2017. A large security force presence was deployed for the event, which drew an estimated 100,000 attendees. Crowds at the festivities chanted slogans associated with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and protested the presidential system, which was to be voted on in a referendum on 16 April 2017.

Death

Initial reports stated that a man armed with a knife attempted to storm the festivities and was shot by security officers at the scene. A photograph taken by Abdurrahman Gök captured the moment of the killing, showing Kurkut moving through a police checkpoint without a shirt, holding a knife in one hand and a water bottle in the other, with a police officer visibly pointing a gun at his back. Police claimed the officer believed Kurkut was a suicide bomber. Kurkut was buried the following day in Battalgazi, Malatya.

Aftermath and Trial

Photographer Abdurrahman Gök was required to submit his images to the prosecutor's office eight days after the killing. Two police officers were summoned to testify; one was released after testimony, while the other was released pending trial and charged in connection with Kurkut's killing. On 2 October 2017, a court ruled that the trial would proceed without the officer, identified as O.M., being charged with deliberate murder, since the bullets responsible for Kurkut's death could not be traced to his weapon.

The trial against the officer identified as Y.Ş.—the individual seen in the photograph pointing a gun at Kurkut—began on 14 December 2017. The proceedings were marked by conflicting forensic reports regarding the bullet's trajectory. A report dated 20 December 2018 indicated the bullet had bounced off the ground before striking Kurkut, while a second report dated 28 February 2019 concluded he had been directly targeted. At the defense's request, a third report was produced by 30 May 2019, which affirmed the original finding that the bullet had bounced off the floor rather than directly targeting Kurkut. On 17 November 2020, during the trial's 11th hearing, Y.Ş. was acquitted on the grounds that the murder weapon could not be identified. In March 2022, a court in Diyarbakır ruled that Kurkut's death occurred "within the legal framework," that the accused officer had not committed a crime, and that Article 17 of the constitution, which guarantees the right to life, had not been violated.

Reactions

The HDP condemned the acquittal, also criticizing that prosecutors simultaneously sought up to 20 years' imprisonment against photographer Abdurrahman Gök. The president of the Diyarbakır Bar Association likewise condemned the officer's release. Gök later received a Metin Göktepe Award in 2017 for the photograph, which played a significant role in identifying the officer involved.