Condolences From One Mourner Father to Another

“Your son is also ours, our pain is mutual,” said Berkin Elvan’s father Sami Elvan to Burak Can Karamanoğlu’s father Halil Karamanoğlu to send his condolences after Wednesday night’s shooting.

Sami Elvan said the following to Karamanoğlu:

“Your son is ours. Our pain is mutual and immense. There is no way to compete them. You ought not to make politics out dead people. It is us who are having the pain. Let’s revive our feelings towards peace and fraternity.” 

Halil Karamanoğlu, on the other hand, also said he agreed on Sami Elvan, pledging that he would visit Elvan family in Istanbul right after the funeral procedures are complete in his hometown Giresun. 

“They are aware of the mutual pain here, they don’t want to see new Elvans, Buraks,” said Hilmi Yarayıcı, an artist. 

What happened?

Berkin Elvan, a 15 year-old child who has been in comatose for 269 days due to a police gas bomb canister, died on Tuesday morning. 

The following day, On March 12, a massive funeral ceremony has been held and Elvan has been buried in Feriköy Cemetery. 

The same night, a fight between two groups last night in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı district left Burak Can Karamanoğlu (22) dead and two other wounded.

Besides from the death of Burak Can Karamanoğlu, the fight left Hüseyin Taşbaşı (31) and Ramazan Gün injured from their hand and abdomen respectively. (AS/BM)