Turkish man killed as police clash with protesters in Antakya

A 22-year-old man was killed in southern Turkey after fresh protests over a 14-year-old left in a coma during anti-government demonstrations in June, a news agency reported on Tuesday.

The man died after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister during clashes between police and protesters in the southeastern city of Antakya near the Syrian border, reported AFP news agency.

The demonstrators were protesting over Berkin Elvan, a teenager who in June was hit by a tear gas canister in the head in Istanbul after he left his parents' house to buy some bread as violent demonstrations swept the city.

Clashes also erupted in Istanbul, between police forces and demonstrators, mostly masked members of far-left groups, who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails and erected barricades.

Protesters were injured on Monday in the street battles of Istanbul, mostly by exposure to tear gas, and one protester suffered burns after a Molotov cocktail exploded nearby, an AFP photographer said. Many were arrested.

Since the June protests against the government of Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan, unrest hasoccasionally flared across the country.

A proposed redevelopment of Gezi Park in Istanbul sparked the demonstrations which escalated into protests against what is seen as Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.

Five people were killed and 8,000 injured during the three weeks unrest, according to the Turkish doctors' union.

(With AFP)