BBC Online :
Thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul for the funeral of a teenage boy who died nine months after being injured during Turkish anti-government protests.
Berkin Elvan’s death on Tuesday led to protests in cities across the country.
President Abdullah Gul has appealed for calm ahead of his funeral.
Berkin was injured while walking to buy bread in Istanbul in June. He was hit on the head by a tear gas canister at the height of the unrest.
Correspondents say his 269 days in a coma gripped the country and became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Crowds of mourners began arriving early on Wednesday in the streets near an Alevi Muslim prayer hall, known as a Cemevi, in the Okmeydan area of Istanbul.
After his funeral at the Cemevi, a march is due to take place in the centre of the city. News of his death – the eighth linked to mass anti-government protests – triggered demonstrations in several Turkish cities the previous day.
In Ankara, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 2,000 protesters who chanted: “Government of Erdogan, government of corruption, resign, resign.”
Thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul for the funeral of a teenage boy who died nine months after being injured during Turkish anti-government protests.
Berkin Elvan’s death on Tuesday led to protests in cities across the country.
President Abdullah Gul has appealed for calm ahead of his funeral.
Berkin was injured while walking to buy bread in Istanbul in June. He was hit on the head by a tear gas canister at the height of the unrest.
Correspondents say his 269 days in a coma gripped the country and became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Crowds of mourners began arriving early on Wednesday in the streets near an Alevi Muslim prayer hall, known as a Cemevi, in the Okmeydan area of Istanbul.
After his funeral at the Cemevi, a march is due to take place in the centre of the city. News of his death – the eighth linked to mass anti-government protests – triggered demonstrations in several Turkish cities the previous day.
In Ankara, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 2,000 protesters who chanted: “Government of Erdogan, government of corruption, resign, resign.”
