At Least 40 Young People Protesting Death Of 15-Year-Old Boy Arrested By Turkish Authorities

Dozens of young people were arrested in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Thursday, Turkish media reported, for protesting the death of a 15-year-old boy injured last June by police during anti-government protests.

Berkin Elvan succumbed to his injuries Tuesday after almost a year in a coma, caused by being hit in the head by a tear gas canister. His death sparked renewed protests centered in Istanbul's Gezi Park, the staging ground for the anti-government protests that took place last summer.

After being arrested by police Wednesday, 36 people who were "children," according to Hurriyet Daily, a leading Turkish newspaper, were interrogated by the Juvenile Crimes Investigation Unit and later released.

Last summer protesters gathered across parts of Turkey to rally against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and what they called his party’s infringement on democratic rights. The movement was referred to as Taksim Square or Gezi Park, from the Istanbul area where protests were concentrated.

There is a growing weariness among Turks over Erdogan’s controversial role in the crackdown on protesters, as well as his alleged involvement in a recent corruption scandal that shook the country.