Berkin Elvan was only 14 years old when he was struck on the head by a tear-gas canister fired by police during the Gezi protests in Istanbul (Turkey). His 269 days in a coma gripped the country and became a symbol for the Gezi Park protests. Clashes have erupted at the hospital where the boy has passed away after being in a coma for nine months. In Ankara, police fired tear gas to disperse around 2,000 protesters.
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| Police fired tear gas on thousands of protesters across the country |
Berkin Elvan, 15, went to buy bread for his mother, as his family states that he wanted to go because 'his mother's leg hurt, and she would not be able to run away from the tear gas' which were thrown during the Gezi Park Protests which were held in June 2013. He had been in a coma ever since. The boy went from 45 to 16kg (35lb) and he had a cardiac arrest on the 8th of march, where doctors were not able to make his heart beat again for twenty minutes. His family announced the bad news on Twtter.
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| ''We lost our son at 07:00 (05:00 GMT). May he rest in peace'' |
After Berkin Elvan's death, his mother was surrounded by mourners outside Okmeydani hospital. This followed to thousands of people gathering to show their anger against the government and the PM, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who claimed to be the one who gave the police orders to attack protesters on live television when the Gezi Park protests were active.
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| People protesting by hanging up bread |
Riot police have fired tear gas and water cannons again in Ankara and Istanbul, where students boycotted classes and staged sit-ins. Other protests have been reported in Antalya and Izmir.
Berkin Elvan's funeral is due to take place on Wednesday.
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