Turkish police broke up a demonstration Saturday in Istanbul in the latest unrest over a teenager who was left in a coma during anti-government protests in June. The demonstrators gathered outside Istanbul's law courts to pay homage to 14-year-old Berkin Elvan in a gathering organised by the umbrella group Taksim Solidarity. Police took in several people for questioning.
Berkin was hit by a tear gas cannister fired by police, according to rights groups, having ventured out to buy a loaf of bread as violent demonstrations swept the city. A lawyer for the teenager filed a complaint on Friday for "attempted murder" against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Interior Minister Muammer Guler, Istanbul's governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu and the city's chief of police Huseyin Capkin, the news agency Dogon reported.
The June protests saw an estimated 2.5 million people take to the streets across Turkey over three weeks to demand the resignation of Erdogan, seen by many as an authoritarian leader trying to force his Islamic values on the staunchly secular country. The clashes left at least six people dead.
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