Detained over racist attack on Kurdish family, 40 people referred to courthouse
* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)
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A racist group of around 60 people attacked a family from Diyarbakır living in Meram district in Konya and killed family member Hakim Dal (43) on July 21. Nearly 40 of these people were taken into custody.
As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Abdurrahman Karabulut, the lawyer of the Dal family, has said that the proceedings to take new people into custody are underway. The ones who have been detained over the racist attack in the Central Anatolian province have been referred to the Konya Courthouse following their statements at the security directorate.
This attack against the Kurdish family in Konya was the third racist attack targeting Kurds in Turkey in the past two weeks.
What happened?
On July 21, one person was shot dead in an attack by dozens of people against a Kurdish family in Konya province.
"They didn't want us because we are Kurds. They would tell us, 'You'll sell these lands and leave'," said Hamdi Dal, the brother of Hakim Dal, who was killed in the attack. He also said that "they were also facing the pressure of the people living in the neighboring villages."
The incident happened after an argument that started while shepherds were pasturing animals, Dal said. "After the argument, a group of at least 60 people came from Karahüyük [a neighboring village]. First, they fired shotgun shells at my uncle's son. We were three people and they arbitrarily attacked us on the excuse of the shepherds' argument. My brother died in the attack."
The same group attacked a family in Meram on July 12. "We are [ultranationalist] idealists, we will not let you live here," said the group, attacking and severely injuring a family of 7, including 4 women.
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(RT/SD)