ISTANBUL: A Turkish lawyer seeking a fair trial after being charged with membership of a terrorist organisation has died in an Istanbul hospital on the 238th day of her hunger strike. Friends said Ebru Timtik weighed just 30 kilogrammes (65 pounds) at the time of her death late Thursday, which has sparked condemnation from opposition parties in Turkey as well as from abroad. AFP reporters saw police try to forcefully disperse around 100 of Timtik's friends and supporters Friday as they tried to gain access to her body outside an Istanbul forensic lab.
Police used teargas and pushed people away with anti-riot shields as a van drove her body away. The Cumhuriyet daily reported that four people were detained. The European Union said Timtik's death highlighted "serious shortcomings" of Turkey's justice system.
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