Muhammed Enes Can
March 31, 2020•Update: March 31, 2020
ISTANBUL
A Turkish jurist martyred five years ago in the course of duty by far-left terrorists was commemorated on Tuesday by one of his key colleagues.
Istanbul's chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan honored fellow prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, killed in 2015.
"The innocent and bright face of our martyr will forever be a source of belief in our fight against all kinds of threats to the existence of the Republic of Turkey and this belief will always live in our hearts," Fidan said in a statement.
"Our martyr's effort to uncover the truth and the sacrifice of his life for this is a source of courage for all his colleagues," he added.
The memorial ceremony, which was to be held in Istanbul's Caglayan Courthouse, has been postponed as part of measures to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Kiraz was martyred after being taken hostage in his office at the courthouse by two far-left DHKP-C terrorists, who had entered the building posing as lawyers.
After hours of negotiations between Turkish police and the terrorists, Kiraz was shot in the head by his captors and later died.
The DHKP-C is responsible for numerous terror attacks in Turkey including the 2013 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, which left a Turkish security guard martyred and a Turkish journalist injured.
The far-left group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
