30 April 2020; MEMO: A police officer has been arrested and suspended from duty after he shot dead a Syrian teen at a police checkpoint in Adana on Monday.
According to a statement by Adana Governor’s office, Ali Al-Hamdan did not abide by police warning calls and refused to stop for a routine inspection as part of coronavirus curfew measures. He was then “mistakenly” shot dead by police.
On 3 April, Turkey announced a curfew banning those aged under than 20 from leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary.
Ali was on his way to work despite the curfew, and he started to run from police fearful of being fined, according to his relatives.
Yesterday President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Al-Hamdan’s father to extend his condolences to the family.
During the call, Erdogan said that he was deeply saddened by the tragic incident and noted that the judicial process regarding the incident was underway and he would follow up the process thoroughly, according to the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
Turkey hosts the world’s largest number of registered refugees, with over 3.6 million Syrian taking refuge in the country, according to the UNHCR.
