Swift justice promised as Tugce buried
As hundreds gathered for the funeral of Tugce Albayrak, the student fatally beaten after intervening in a fight, prosecutors said they would act quickly against suspects.
The mosque of the local Turkish-Islamic cultural association (Ditib) in Wächtersbach, Hesse, played host to the funeral service for the 23-year-old student before her burial in a neigbouring town.
Wreaths and other floral tributes were left on large tables in front of the mosque with messages like "You're always in our hearts" or "It could have been my daughter".
“We're all very sad. This is a very emotional situation for us”, local Ditib chairman Hakan Akbulut said.
Hesse minister-president Volker Bouffier and Turkish Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu attended the prayers for the good samaritan.
Meanwhile, state prosecutors in Offenbach, where Tugce was studying and the fatal attack took place, said that they would be bringing charges “quickly”.
“In criminal cases, particularly with young people, charges should be brought and the main trial begin within six months”, a spokesman said.
He added that the results of an autopsy were expected in January and that investigators were currently trying to improve the quality of a CCTV recording of the crime.
An 18-year-old man is in custody for the attack on Tugce on 15 November which led to her death two weeks later, although he is unlikely to be charged with murder.
Investigators don't yet know whether his punch or Tugce's impact on the ground caused the fatal injury to her temple.
Tugce's death, which happened after she was beaten for stepping into an altercation between several men and two women, has made her into a folk hero.
She has become the face of an online campaign for more people to have the courage of their convictions in everyday life.
And a petition has been started for Tugce to be awarded the Order of Merit for her actions.
SEE ALSO: Two girls saved by Tugce A. come forward
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The mosque of the local Turkish-Islamic cultural association (Ditib) in Wächtersbach, Hesse, played host to the funeral service for the 23-year-old student before her burial in a neigbouring town.
Wreaths and other floral tributes were left on large tables in front of the mosque with messages like "You're always in our hearts" or "It could have been my daughter".
“We're all very sad. This is a very emotional situation for us”, local Ditib chairman Hakan Akbulut said.
Hesse minister-president Volker Bouffier and Turkish Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu attended the prayers for the good samaritan.
Meanwhile, state prosecutors in Offenbach, where Tugce was studying and the fatal attack took place, said that they would be bringing charges “quickly”.
“In criminal cases, particularly with young people, charges should be brought and the main trial begin within six months”, a spokesman said.
He added that the results of an autopsy were expected in January and that investigators were currently trying to improve the quality of a CCTV recording of the crime.
An 18-year-old man is in custody for the attack on Tugce on 15 November which led to her death two weeks later, although he is unlikely to be charged with murder.
Investigators don't yet know whether his punch or Tugce's impact on the ground caused the fatal injury to her temple.
Tugce's death, which happened after she was beaten for stepping into an altercation between several men and two women, has made her into a folk hero.
She has become the face of an online campaign for more people to have the courage of their convictions in everyday life.
And a petition has been started for Tugce to be awarded the Order of Merit for her actions.
SEE ALSO: Two girls saved by Tugce A. come forward
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