ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Pictures of a 13-year-old Syrian refugee being beaten by a restaurant owner in Turkey have outraged social media users.
Ahmed Hamdo, the teenage victim, was shown in the images being struck by the local business owner in the Aegean port of Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city. From what’s known about Hamdo, he and his family fled to Turkey from war-ravaged Aleppo in Syria.
Hamdo and his family since arriving in Izmir are sharing a tiny two-room apartment with no water or electricity, according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News newspaper. Ahmed’s father Abdo works as a TV repairman and his mother cannot work due to health issues, also according to Hurriyet. The boy was selling tissues at a restaurant in Izmir’s Basmane Square.
“I was only selling tissues. While I was about to sell a pack to a lady there, they pulled me aside and hit me. They stepped on me. Syrians on the other side of the road rushed and poured water on me and I gained consciousness only then,” Ahmed was reported as saying.
According to witnesses, during the incident Ahmed would not let anyone approach him until he was sure they only wanted to help him and not beat him further. Ahmed was confused and shocked. The refugee boy could not speak Turkish and was saved by other Syrians and passersby.
According to the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper, the restaurant owner was angry at the boy because he was disturbing his customers and he kept beating Hamdo even as onlookers tried to intervene. Hamdo’s family did not take legal action when the police asked them if they wanted to file a complaint, and Hamdo’s mother said God would punish her son’s attacker.
According to the Daily Sabah, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has asked Izmir authorities to investigate the incident. The provincial head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has given Hamdo’s family toys and promised the mother will receive medical care.
This is not the first time a Syrian refugee has been attacked in Turkey. Six months ago, a Syrian refugee boy was attacked by the manager of a Burger King in Istanbul, according to the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.
The Syrian Civil War, ongoing since spring 2011, has displaced more than 11 million civilians. Turkey is home to more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Ahmed Hamdo, the teenage victim, was shown in the images being struck by the local business owner in the Aegean port of Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city. From what’s known about Hamdo, he and his family fled to Turkey from war-ravaged Aleppo in Syria.
Hamdo and his family since arriving in Izmir are sharing a tiny two-room apartment with no water or electricity, according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News newspaper. Ahmed’s father Abdo works as a TV repairman and his mother cannot work due to health issues, also according to Hurriyet. The boy was selling tissues at a restaurant in Izmir’s Basmane Square.
“I was only selling tissues. While I was about to sell a pack to a lady there, they pulled me aside and hit me. They stepped on me. Syrians on the other side of the road rushed and poured water on me and I gained consciousness only then,” Ahmed was reported as saying.
According to witnesses, during the incident Ahmed would not let anyone approach him until he was sure they only wanted to help him and not beat him further. Ahmed was confused and shocked. The refugee boy could not speak Turkish and was saved by other Syrians and passersby.
According to the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper, the restaurant owner was angry at the boy because he was disturbing his customers and he kept beating Hamdo even as onlookers tried to intervene. Hamdo’s family did not take legal action when the police asked them if they wanted to file a complaint, and Hamdo’s mother said God would punish her son’s attacker.
According to the Daily Sabah, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has asked Izmir authorities to investigate the incident. The provincial head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has given Hamdo’s family toys and promised the mother will receive medical care.
This is not the first time a Syrian refugee has been attacked in Turkey. Six months ago, a Syrian refugee boy was attacked by the manager of a Burger King in Istanbul, according to the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.
The Syrian Civil War, ongoing since spring 2011, has displaced more than 11 million civilians. Turkey is home to more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
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