Clashes erupt at Turkey trial over protester death

Turkish police and protesters clashed on Thursday at the opening of the trial of two people charged with the death of a young man during anti-government street demonstrations this year. The trouble occurred as a crowd of about 500 people gathered to seek justice for the 19-year-old victim tried to storm the heavily-protected courthouse in Istanbul, an AFP photographer said. No-one was injured in the fracas. Mehmet Ayvalitas, 19, was killed in Istanbul in June by a taxi which rammed into a group of people demonstrating against Turkey's Islamist-leaning Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The taxi driver and the owner of the vehicle are charged with manslaughter and face three to 15 years in prison if convicted. "This is not a criminal case, nor a traffic accident but clearly a political act," said Kurdish lawmaker Sebahat Tuncel, according to the Dogan news agency. The trial is due to resume on February 5. In all, six people were killed and more than 8,000 injured during the wave of protests against Erdogan and his government. Two separate trials are also being held over other protester deaths. After 11 years in power, Erdogan is seen as an increasingly polarizing figure in Turkey, criticized for his attempts to impose Islamic norms in the staunchly secular country and for grandiose urban development plans.