Teenager injured in Turkish uprising dies, sparking protests

Protests erupted across Turkey Tuesday afternoon after it was reported that a teenager hurt in Istanbul street protests last summer had died from his injuries.

Berkin Elvan, 15, had been on his way to buy bread last June when he was struck by a teargas canister aimed at demonstrators in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. He had remained in a coma in the months since.

His family announced his death via Twitter Tuesday morning. Protesters took to the streets in Istanbul and in the capital city of Ankara in response as riot police and demonstrators clashed outside the hospital where the boy died.

This is the eighth death to come out of last summer’s anti-government protests, which began as a sit-in at one of Istanbul’s last remaining parks but quickly escalated into a series of nationwide demonstrations against the ruling AKP party.