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November 30, 2015

Prominent Kurdish Lawyer Shot Dead in Turkey; Thousands Protest Journalist Arrests 
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Thousands of people gathered in Turkey on Sunday for the funeral of
Tahir Elci, a leading Kurdish lawyer and human rights activist. Elci was
gunned down on Saturday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. He had
been awaiting trial for public comments in which he said the Kurdistan
Workers Party is not a terrorist group. Hundreds of people have died
since a ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government broke down
in July. Elci's killing came one day after thousands rallied in Istanbul
against the government's arrest of two prominent journalists. The pair
is accused of espionage after publishing a report claiming Turkish
intelligence sent weapons to militant extremists inside Syria.

 

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