Filmed on September 9, 2021.
IDIL, Turkey - The family of a seven-year-old boy killed by an armored vehicle as he played on the street outside his home last week are demanding justice for their son and seeking prosecution of the driver.
On September 3, Mihrac Miroglu he was riding his bike outside his house in Idil, Sirnak province when he was hit and killed by a Turkish armored vehicle. The driver was summoned to court to give his testimony but has not been arrested.
“From these kinds of vehicles, you can’t see everyone. These vehicles are not made to be on residential streets. I want the heaviest sentence given to the driver,” said Mihrac’s father, Salih Miroglu.
Because of decades of fighting between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish state, armored vehicles are often seen on the streets in Kurdish areas. According to a 2019 report by the Human Rights Association, 16 children were killed by armored vehicles in Kurdish areas in the previous 10 years.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said Mihrac’s death was part of a massacre against Kurds.
Rojda Miroglu is Mihrac’s aunt and a lawyer. She said they are gathering evidence and will not let the case fade away without justice being served. “It is not enough to say the incident was not intentional. If there is a shortcoming, we will surely follow it,” she said.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu visited the family on Thursday. He described Mihrac in a tweet as “our son” and expressed his condolences.
Translation by Karwan Faidhi Dri
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
On September 3, Mihrac Miroglu he was riding his bike outside his house in Idil, Sirnak province when he was hit and killed by a Turkish armored vehicle. The driver was summoned to court to give his testimony but has not been arrested.
“From these kinds of vehicles, you can’t see everyone. These vehicles are not made to be on residential streets. I want the heaviest sentence given to the driver,” said Mihrac’s father, Salih Miroglu.
Because of decades of fighting between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish state, armored vehicles are often seen on the streets in Kurdish areas. According to a 2019 report by the Human Rights Association, 16 children were killed by armored vehicles in Kurdish areas in the previous 10 years.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said Mihrac’s death was part of a massacre against Kurds.
Rojda Miroglu is Mihrac’s aunt and a lawyer. She said they are gathering evidence and will not let the case fade away without justice being served. “It is not enough to say the incident was not intentional. If there is a shortcoming, we will surely follow it,” she said.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu visited the family on Thursday. He described Mihrac in a tweet as “our son” and expressed his condolences.
Translation by Karwan Faidhi Dri
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
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