At least six killed in pro-PKK protests

At least six people including a child have been killed over the past three days in the pro-PKK protests in Turkey's southeastern province Diyarbakir, the private NTV channel reported on Friday.

The demonstration was triggered when bodies of four member of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) killed in a recent military operation were brought to Diyarbakir for burial on Tuesday.

At least 257 people were injured in the clashes between protestors and security forces, and six of them in serious condition, the report said.

A group of protestors clashed with police in Istanbul on Thursday evening.

The protesters set up a barricade and threw Molotov cocktails at anti-riot police and armored vehicles, while the police used tear gas and armored vehicle to disperse the crowd.

Moreover, the pro-PKK demonstrations also took place in Yuksekova town of southeastern province of Hakkari on Friday.

Fighting has subdued significantly since the PKK commander Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999.

But violence has escalated since the PKK called off a unilateral ceasefire in 2004. The Turkish government refuses to negotiate with the PKK which it deems as a terrorists organization fighting for independence in mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.

Source: Xinhua