Turkish Constitutional Court orders new probe and damages for 2013 tear-gas victim

The Constitutional Court granted Selçuk Yıldız 540,000 lira in compensation after he suffered partial blindness from a police-fired tear-gas canister during the 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations. The court found the state liable for the injury and criticized the authorities for not conducting an effective investigation. It ordered the Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to reopen the case, emphasizing that investigators had not determined which officers were authorized to fire the canister or questioned the commanders on duty.

Earlier probes in 2014 and 2017 failed to identify the officer, and surveillance footage was reportedly lost. Yıldız’s 2021 submission of additional evidence, including news video, prompted the latest court directive. The decision also highlighted that Yıldız was not participating in the protests and that police had not justified the use of tear gas in that instance.