Berlin builds memorial for Turkish murder victim

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN, Germany

A memorial for the Turkish victim of a presumed racial murder was unveiled Sunday in the German capital.

Mustafa Celik, Turkish Consul General to Berlin, attended the opening of the memorial for Turkish youth Burak Bektas, who was shot on April 5, 2012. His murder still remains unresolved, according to German police.

The memorial was built in a park at the junction of Rudower and Möwenweg streets in Neukölln district.

Bektas’s parents opened the memorial and left flowers for their son.

“In every meeting we hold, we demand from our German colleagues and law enforcement to put more effort into this and resolve the attacks carried out especially by right-wing extremists,” Celik told Anadolu Agency.

Celik said the landscaping of the park was undertaken by a Turkish company and thanked all Germans who supported and contributed to the memorial’s construction.

He added that he believes the memorial is significant because it will create awareness.

“I do not trust them [German law enforcement officials]. I don’t trust their prosecutors, police anymore,” said Bektas’ mother. “They are trying to cover up the incident.”

She also thanked all those who contributed to the building of the memorial.

A total of 40,000 euros were raised for the memorial, led by an initiative dedicated to uncovering the truth about the murder.

Hundreds of people joined a demonstration held before the opening of the memorial.

Burak Bektas, 22, was shot in Neukölln district while chatting with his friends. Two of his friends were also seriously injured during the attack.

Eyewitnesses had reported that the assailant, who was white and middle-aged, quietly left the scene after firing on the youngsters. German police had claimed that no traces of evidence leading to the perpetrator could be found.

*Dilan Pamuk contributed to this story from Ankara.