Turkish policeman convicted in 2014 death of teenager

A Turkish police officer has been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for the murder of a teenager who was hit in the head with a tear-gas canister in 2013.

Police officer Fatih Dalgali was on trial for causing the death of Berkin Elvan, a 14-year-old injured in the head by a high-velocity gas canister in Istanbul in 2013 as anti-government protests were taking place nearby. Dalgali rejects the accusations.

Elvan was in a coma for 269 days. His death in March 2014 at age 15 led to a flare-up in protests. Elvan’s family said he was out buying bread, not protesting.

A court in Istanbul convicted Dalgali of “possible intent of murder,” via video-link, sentencing him to 16 years and 8 months in prison, and barred him from leaving the country, according to official Anadolu news agency.