Police assaulted a 13-year-old child during a protest held in the Kızıltepe district of Turkey’s southeastern Mardin province on Jan 23.
The protest was part of recent demonstrations in the Kurdish-populated border provinces to oppose the military offensive by the Syrian interim government forces against the Kurdish regions in northern and eastern Syria, also referred to as Rojava.
Journalist Ahmet Kanbal captured footage of the incident, showing a police officer lifting a child into the air and forcefully throwing him to the ground:
Bu nasıl bir kin, bu nasıl bir nefret
— Ahmet Kanbal (@ahmetkanballl) January 23, 2026
Yer Kızıltepe/Mardin
Tarih 23 Ocak 2026
Daha 13-15 yaşlarında bir çocuk bir polis tarafından yakalanıp, havaya kaldırılarak yere vuruluyor. pic.twitter.com/EKEQ6B7JUR
‘Many children were beaten that day’
Lawyers Kemal Erdem and Arjin Akdağ, representing the child, spoke to bianet, detailing the events during the protest.
Erdem recounted that his client had been returning home after meeting a friend in downtown Kızıltepe when he was targeted by police.
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“Two officers approached him from behind, lifted him into the air and slammed him to the ground,” he said. “They then dragged him to the back of a police vehicle, where they repeatedly hit him on the head, back and legs. This was torture and inhumane treatment.”
He claimed that many other children in Kızıltepe were subjected to similar violence on the same day, regardless of whether they had participated in the protests.
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‘This is what happens when you throw stones at police’
After the incident, the child was taken to Kızıltepe State Hospital by his family to obtain a medical report documenting the injuries, said lawyer Arjin Akdağ.
“Although the bruises on the child’s body were clearly visible, the doctor refused to issue a report and referred him back to the police,” she added.
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According to Akdağ, one of the officers then insulted the child and said, “No report for you. This is what happens when you throw stones at the police, you get beaten.”
After the family contacted the lawyers, Akdağ said she went to the hospital herself. A report was eventually issued, but she said it failed to include the full extent of the injuries.
“When I objected, the officers at the hospital became aggressive and approached me in a threatening manner. They told me, ‘You’re a woman, be ashamed and keep your mouth shut.’”
‘Children are being criminalized’
Akdağ described the incident as “a sexist and degrading attack,” arguing that the failure to properly document the injuries was part of a systemic pattern.
“This isn’t a simple procedural error. It’s a deliberate attempt to obstruct the documentation of torture and ill-treatment inflicted on a child. Children are being criminalized in the process,” she said.
De facto state of emergency
During the day, uniformed soldiers equipped with shields were seen marching in formation and taking positions in various streets throughout Kızıltepe.
Erdem claimed that a de facto state of emergency had been imposed in the town and that it was contributing to the abuse.
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“The sight of thousands of soldiers marching in formation through the city center sends a message of psychological intimidation to children. It instills fear of military uniforms into their subconscious,” he said.
Erdem added that Kurdish children in cities like Mardin, Diyarbakır, Batman and İstanbul are increasingly facing similar violations, which he said reflect the broader effects of the conflict in Rojava.
“This war is seeping into the entire region, and human rights violations are on the rise,” he said. (NÖ/VK)
