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The
trial has started in Turkey of four policemen
accused of the unlawful killing of a man and his
child in the south-eastern province of Mardin. Ahmet
and Ugur Kaymaz were shot and killed in what
security forces said was an anti-terrorism
operation.
Ugur Kaymaz was 11-years-old when he was killed.
That the trial is happening - and that it is
attracting attention inside the country - testifies
to the changes Turkey has seen over recent years.
'Excessive force'
The killing of Ahmet and Ugur Kaymaz in late
November last year aroused little attention for a
few days.
But gradually the Turkish media, non-governmental
organisations and members of the Turkish parliament
became more and more involved.
The security forces, which for years have been
accused of torture and extra-judicial killings in
Turkey's troubled Kurdish south-east, were thrown
onto the defensive.
The shooting in the back of a child who was
reportedly dressed in his slippers at the time did
not seem to many like an attempt to halt a terrorist
operation.
Instead the police have been accused of using
excessive force.
Those involved were, for a time, suspended from
duty. They have since been re-instated and
re-assigned.
Quick action
Speaking to the BBC, the president of the Kurdish
political party, Dehap, acknowledged that things had
changed in Turkey.
He said that the growth in the strength of civil
society had led to that change in atmosphere.
There is still a fair amount of paramilitary
activity in the south-east and human rights groups
maintain that the authorities are still heavy-handed
in their response.
The difference between now and a few years ago is
that, in some cases at least, such responses no
longer go unnoticed in the rest of Turkey.
In this case, moreover, the authorities have been
quick to act against those who appear to have
overstepped the mark.
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