Turkey: death toll in protests rises to 5

A 19-year-old university student who was hurt during anti-government protests that rocked Turkey last month has died from his injuries, bringing the death toll in the unrest to five, local media reported on Wednesday.

Ali Ismail Korkmaz, who joined the demos on June 2 in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir, suffered a brain hemorrhage when unidentified assailants attacked him while he was fleeing from tear gas, the Dogan News Agency reported.

The Turkish Medical Association said it could not confirm the latest casualty.

The unrest flared when police cracked down on a peaceful sit-in against plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park on May 31, which then snowballed into nationwide protests that saw some 2.5 million take to the streets.

The government’s heavy-handed response during nearly three weeks of protests left nearly 8,000 injured .

The violence eased after police evicted protesters from Gezi Park on June 15, but police again fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday to prevent demonstrators from entering the park after it was re-opened to the public.

M.D