Killed with 13 bullets at the age of 12, Uğur Kaymaz commemorated
* Photo: MA
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12-year-old Uğur Kaymaz, who was killed by the police with 13 bullets in Mardin's Kızıltepe on November 21, 2004, and his father Ahmet Kaymaz, who was killed in the same incident, were commemorated at their graves yesterday (November 21).
As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the commemoration at the Atatürk Neighborhood Cemetery was attended by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) provincial and district organizations, Peace Mothers Assembly members, representatives from the Association for Aiding and Solidarizing with the Ones Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations (MEBYA-DER) and the Kaymaz family.
Speaking at the commemoration, HDP Mardin Provincial Organization Co-Chair Salih Kuday underlined that child murders could be prevented only by identifying and penalizing the perpetrators.
Noting that children are massacred by armored vehicles in the Kurdish geography, Salih Kuday briefly said, "Everything [to be done] to Kurdish children is seen as permissible. Be that a child, a young person, a woman, an elderly... Whoever that is, when a Kurdish person is killed, no prosecutor of court stands behind this. That is why we are saying: The perpetrators of Ahmet and Uğur Kaymaz should be penalized."
What happened?
Uğur Kaymaz (12) and his father Ahmet Kaymaz were murdered by law enforcers in Kızıltepe district in Mardin on November 21, 2004 on the grounds that they were "terrorists".
Uğur Kaymaz was hit with 13, his father with eight bullets.
A lawsuit was brought against four police officers. The defendant police officers were released by the court pending a trial.
The court ordered acquittal of the police officers on the grounds of "self-defense".
Following the acquittal, the family applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The ECtHR declared its decision in February 2014 and sentenced Turkey to pay for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages.
In response to this, the lawyers of the Kaymaz Family demanded retrial. However, the Eskişehir High Criminal Court rejected this request without citing any justification in March 2015.
Uğur Kaymaz's mother Makbule Kaymaz was discharged from her job at the municipality through a statutory decree dated November 23, 2016 after the failed coup attempt. Makbule Kaymaz was working at the municipality as a cleaning worker for 12 years. (RT/SD)