17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan died January 14th following a stabbing in Güngören on the far western side of Istanbul. The stabbing was the result of a dispute between Çağlayan and a 15-year-old assailant in a local cafe. Medyascope spoke to his mourning friends, saying he was the most innocent among them.
Reported by İlayda Önemli, translated by Leo Kendrick
Çağlayan was reportedly stabbed in the chest by the assailant and died after resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Several friends of Atlas Çağlayan who spoke to Medyascope remembered the 17-year-old as “clean hearted and innocent.”
“He was the purest, most innocent child among us”
A friend of Atlas who had known him for five or six years said that he first met Atlas’ twin brother Doruk at neighborhood football matches, and then met Atlas. The friend said that Atlas transferred from a private school to his current vocational school last year to become a healthcare worker. Saying that Atlas enjoyed playing football and surprising his friends with card tricks, the friend described him saying:
“He was the purest, most innocent child among us. I never even saw or heard him fight. He always tried to be kind to everyone. He never had problems with anyone. He loved his twin brother Doruk and his mother very much and valued them highly. He never disobeyed his mother and tried not to upset her.”
His friend, who said he was at home the evening the incident occurred and went to the scene as soon as he heard the news, stated, “What happened took place in a cafe we frequently visited on cold days for the past two or three years. When I arrived, I found Atlas lying on the ground, covered in blood.”
“He was stabbed while trying to break up a fight”
Another childhood friend, who said he grew up in the same neighborhood as Atlas and was with him at the time of the incident, stated that Atlas only stepped forward to break up the argument. The friend added that if he had been in Atlas’s place, he would have been targeted with the knife.
The friend also said he did not know the perpetrators and saw them for the first time that evening, saying, “Atlas neither cursed at them nor looked at them. He didn’t say a single word. Everything happened in an instant, we never expected something like this to happen.”
“Atlas was a very good child. He wouldn’t fight, he would never be involved in such things. He was the purest-hearted child among us.” The friend also added that he wanted the perpetrators to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
“Just a week or two ago we were sitting and laughing, but now he’s gone”
Another friend who had been friends with Atlas for nearly five years said:
“Atlas was a very kind, gentle, and shy child. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. I rushed to the hospital. I never thought something like this could happen to someone so close to me. Just a week or two ago we were sitting and laughing, but now he’s gone. I hope they receive the harshest possible punishment so that this doesn’t happen to us tomorrow.”
Another friend of Atlas’, with whom he had known him for about four or five years, explained that they would meet up outside of school hours and either go to play football together or just sit and chat. He described Atlas as “a very pure-hearted, sincere child. He was optimistic about everything, always trying to look at the bright side of things.”
“He was too good for his age, for this world, for this era”
The older sister of one of Atlas’s school friends said the following about Atlas:
“Some days, I would go to pick up my brother from school. I would see Atlas. He was a very polite and compassionate child. Whenever he went into a market, he would always buy cat food and feed the animals. He would fill a bowl of water from home and give it to the animals. You would never hear a bad word from him. He was too good for his age, for this world, for this era.”
“They are all our children”
An older sister, who said she was very upset when she learned the news, said, “It pains me to constantly see innocent children being brutally murdered by their peers,” and added:
“First Ahmet, now Atlas… We can’t help but wonder who it will be tomorrow. Only a group of people are speaking out for justice, while the rest do nothing. But this pain cannot be ignored just because it hasn’t affected someone we know, or our own child. They are all our children. Perhaps they would have become future police officers, scientists, doctors. Day by day, not only are children being killed, but we are losing our children who would do good things for our country and state. When we go outside, whoever is upset stabs or beats others just because they feel like it… Only one mother is watching now. We are truly living a game of chance.”
