JINHA

AMED – Since the killing of Aytaç Baran, the head of an Islamic association in Diyarbakır, three people have been killed and three wounded in the city. The wounded included journalist Canan Altıntaş.

Yesterday in Diyarbakır, unknown persons attacked Aytaç Baran in front of his home in the Şehitlik neighborhood of Diyarbakır. Aytaç was known as the head of the Science and Service Aid and Research Association (Yeni İHYA-DER), a group known for its close ties to the extreme Islamist Hür Dava (Free Cause) Party, or Hüda-Par. Aytaç Baran was rushed to hospital, but died soon after.

In the wake of the killing, an armed group began opening fire on the surrounding area. Three people, among them journalists for Doğan News Agency, were wounded in the attacks. Doğan reporter Canan Altıntaş, who was wounded in the attack, was hospitalized at the city's Memorial Hospital.

The people of the neighborhood quickly evacuated the area. Witnesses said that even when the armed group opened fire, police did not intervene or try to stop them, only throwing tear gas into the area. Three were killed in the clashes.

The general co-chairs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) quickly issued a statement calling for calm. They wished condolences to the family of Aytaç Baran and the Yeni İHYA-DER community and called for the attackers to be found immediately.

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