A man has been killed and eleven wounded as police shot at protestors while investigating a bomb attack in the district of Semdinli in Hakkari province in Turkey .

There was one fatality and several injuries in the explosion which occurred at the Umut Kitabevi bookstall; the second such explosion to occur in two weeks.  Violence and unrest erupted as local people apprehended the suspected attackers.  Witness reports indicate that a police sergeant in a white car opened fire.  It was there that the bystander, named as Ali Yilmaz, was reportedly shot. 

According to witness reports, local people apprehended the officials' car, discovering that it contained three automatic rifles, hand grenade bombs and the identity documents of a member of Gendarme Intelligence (JIS).  It also included a map and a list of names, including the Mayor of Semdinli and Seferi Yilmaz, the owner of the bookstall that had been targetted.  Police arrived and opened fire to disperse the crowds.

KHRP is concerned that subsequent investigations have been inadequate or non-existent.  Reportedly, police prevented the public prosecutor from conducting an investigation at the scene of the incident and from taking witness statements until yesterday, two days after the incident.  The investigating officer has linked the case to another which occurred on 1 November 2005 where a car bomb attack injured 23 people outside a police station.  The attack was initially blamed on an armed illegal group.

KHRP is concerned at the escalating violence and urges authorities to conduct a swift and effective investigation into the bomb attack and shootings.  The incident is a chilling reminder of the violence which marred the region during the 1980s and 1990s.

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