The family of Syrian teenager who was beaten to death in a market in Turkey say they will appeal after a court acquitted three brothers accused of his killing and sentenced a fourth to less than four years in jail.
Hamza Al Ajjan, 17, was beaten to death in a popular market in the Gursu district in Bursa, a city in north-western Turkey, in July 2020, following a quarrel with four brothers.
A Syrian woman who wanted to buy tomatoes from the market had approached the teenager for help with translation. Activists said Hamza was trying to stop vegetable vendors who had cheated the woman from insulting her.
The criminal court in Bursa issued its ruling in a session last week attended by relatives of the victim and of the defendants.
The court sentenced one brother to a prison term of three years and four months and acquitted the other three.
The lawyer of the victim's family described the decision as unjust and said they would file an appeal.
Mustafa Al Ajjan said his son son suffered terrible injuries in the attack.
“The doctors tried to save him, but the injuries to his head were fatal. He had severe bleeding," Mr Al Ajjan said.
"We hope that the judiciary will punish the perpetrators and bring justice to our son.”
Mr Al Ajjan, told Al Arabiya channel that his son worked in Turkish markets for seven years and was learning the Turkish language at an institute.
Hamza was 10 years old when he settled in Bursa with his parents and eight siblings.
The family sought refuge in Turkey in 2013 as security deteriorated in their village of Kafr Najd in the Idlib governorate.
Turkey has hosted more than three million Syrians, out of a refugee population of more than four million, since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The country has witnessed a rise in violence against refugees in recent years.
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May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
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