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Surveillance footage has surfaced, shedding light on the incident in Hakkari's Yüksekova district, where 5-year-old Erdem Aşkan lost his life after being struck by a military sergeant's vehicle on June 7.
According to the footage obtained by bianet, the military sergeant, identified as A.K.P., swiftly changes lanes right after passing the traffic lights at an intersection near Yüksekova State Hospital, driving his white-colored vehicle.
After overtaking a truck and a concrete mixer, the sergeant collides with 5-year-old Erdem Aşkan, who is standing on the right side of the road with his mother and sibling. Despite the court's decision to release sergeant A.K.P., it was claimed that the child was at fault. However, Aşkan's mother stated in her testimony to the prosecutor's office that she never let go of her son's hand.
The footage also shows people rushing to the scene on the left side of the road after the vehicle struck Aşkan, attempting to provide assistance.
A vehicle operated by to A.K.P., stationed at the Yüksekova District Gendarmerie Command, collided with 5-year-old Erdem Aşkan on June 7th, causing his death on the route from Yüksekova district to Van.
A.K.P. was taken into custody but subsequently released under judicial control. The 5-year-old victim, Erdem Aşkan, was declared "at fault" in the incident.
According to a report published in 2022 by the Diyarbakır Bar Association's Children's Rights Center, a total of 49 people, including 22 children, have lost their lives over the past 10 years as a result of armored vehicle collisions, nearly all of which occurred in the country's predominantly Kurdsh-populated eastern and southeastern regions. (NT/VK)
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