The case of Ali Ismail Korkmaz, who died as a result of being beaten at a Gezi Park protest, is coming to head this week, with an expected conclusion this Friday, December 28th.  Amnesty has been watching the trial closely since its very beginning.  It is important not just for the tragic murder of a young man, not yet out of his teens, by police sworn to protect him, but also for disturbing signs that authorities attempted to stymie the trial from the start.

As Amnesty International discussed in its landmark report on the Gezi Protests:

[The case] presents an example of the obstacles to identifying police officers accused of violence against protestors. Police offices are alleged to have taken part in the beating wearing civilian clothes, without any official insignia identifying them as police officers. They are also accused of directing and acting in cooperation with civilians to beat protestors on their behalf. Following the death, the authorities stated that no police officers were involved in the attack. Video footage of the attack was destroyed…

On trial this week are not only those implicated in this brutal murder, but also a system of cozy denial and obstruction which has supported the culture of impunity in Turkey.  As we await the court’s decision, Amnesty is calling on its supporters world-wide to help call attention to this important case through social media.

Steps you can take:

1. Use the image at the beginning of this blog, a photomontage created by Amnesty-Turkey for an earlier action regarding this case as your facebook or twitter image.

2. Share messages with the Ali Ismail’s image and the hashtag #endimpunity  and #AliIsmailKorkmaz

An example might be:

As the trial of those accused of causing the death of #AliIsmailKorkmaz draws to a close, #endimpunity for all those responsible! #GeziPark

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As the case comes to its apparent close this December 28th, let’s ensure that the court – and Ali Ismail’s family and loved ones – know: the whole world is watching.

Howard Eissenstat
St. Lawrence University