Kurdish boy is severely beaten by Turkish officer

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Kurds demonstrated last week in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey to protest the recent wave of arrests against members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP).  During the demonstrations, one Kurdish boy, age 14, was severely beaten by an officer of the Turkish security forces.

The beating happened after Turkish security forces attempted to break up a demonstration that was taking place in a rural area. Several children began hurling stones in protest and one child was punished with a beating by a Turkish officer that left him severely injured.

The boy sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Van Yüzüncü Yol University Hospital in the province of Van where doctors say he will have to remain for at least 2 weeks.

A video of the beating can be seen on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIlyR9PG7U).

The Associated Press reports:

An official says the government has launched a probe into the security forces after a [14]-year-old boy was severely beaten during a demonstration by Kurds in southeast Turkey.

Video footage of the protest showed an official in military fatigues beating the boy in the head with a truncheon and then kicking him as he lay on the ground.

The state-run news agency says four people were detained and three protesters were injured in Thursday’s demonstration in the mainly Kurdish city of Hakkari. The demonstrators barricaded roads and threw stones at police to denounce the detention last week of more than 200 Kurds in a nationwide police crackdown.

Hakkari’s governor, Muammer Turker, says the government immediately launched an investigation into officials involved.