Kurdish Presidency condemns the killing of Tahir Elci, calls it assassination

ERBIL (K24) — The Presidency of Kurdistan Region of Iraq said on Monday that it condemns the killing of the renowned Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elci.

In a statement released on the presidential website, the killing of the head of Diyarbekir Bar Association Tahir Elci was referred to as "an assassination by unknown gunmen".

Elci, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, was shot dead in the head in a street shootout between Turkish police officers in plainclothes and suspected members of the PKK-linked Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H) in the historic Sur district of the Kurdish city of Diyarbekir last Saturday.

The statement released by the office of the President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani said that Kurdish presidency condemns "that inhumane assassination in the strongest terms possible". It also gave condolences to Elci's family and colleagues and said, "We know your grief as our own".

The Kurdish presidency demanded the killers "be apprehended, judged and sentenced to what they deserve."

The statement further stated that "these kinds of inhumane crimes are a serious threat to the social peace and happiness of people."

It said precautions should be taken to prevent "any such thing" from taking place again.