Riot police clashed with demonstrators in several Turkish cities for a second day on Wednesday as mourners buried a teenager wounded in protests last summer, unrest which a defiant Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cast as a plot against the state.
Police fired water cannon, tear gas and rubber pellets on a major Istanbul avenue to stop tens of thousands of people chanting anti-government slogans from reaching the central Taksim square. There were similar scenes in the center of the capital Ankara and in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir.
The death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan on Tuesday after nine months in a coma touched off the worst unrest in Turkey since the nationwide anti-government demonstrations last June, adding to Erdogan’s woes as he battles a graft scandal that has become one of the biggest challenges of his decade in power.
Warning: Some readers may find the photos below disturbing.
Thousands of people attended the funeral of Berkin Elvan, the 15-year-old boy who died from injuries suffered during last year's anti-government protests, in Istanbul on March 12, 2014.
Women held placards reading "I want the killers of my child" with pictures of Berkin Elvan, the Turkish teenager who died, during a protest in Ankara on March 12, 2014.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse protestors during Berkin Elvan's funeral on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Thousands of people attended the funeral of Berkin Elvan, the 15-year-old boy who died from injuries suffered during last year's anti-government protests, in Istanbul on March 12, 2014.
A policeman firing rubber bullets at protesters during clashes with riot police at the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Riot police used water cannons against protesters during clashes at the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
A protester wearing a gas mask takes cover with his shield during clashes with riot police after the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Protesters flee tear gas during clashes with riot police after the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Photographers take pictures of a woman wounded during clashes with riot police after the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Police used a water cannon on protesters during clashes with riot police after the funeral of Berkin Elvan on March 12, 2014 in Istanbul.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Ankara and Istanbul on Wednesday as tens of thousands took to the streets to mourn a teenage boy who died from injuries suffered in last year's anti-government protests.
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