Turkish Ministry of Justice clarifies two child murder cases

Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that investigations led by the newly established Unsolved Crimes Research Department have clarified two cases previously dismissed as suicides or accidents.

In Van's Başkale district, the death of 14-year-old Damlanur Sarihan, originally reported as a suicide in January 2024, has been reclassified as a homicide. Following the discovery of conflicting witness statements, gunshot residue on a relative, and inconclusive forensic evidence regarding the weapon, authorities conducted simultaneous operations in Tekirdağ, Hakkari, and Van, resulting in the detention of seven suspects.

In Afyonkarahisar, the death of 4-year-old Yunus Emre Yakar, once thought to be a fall from a height, was determined to be a murder. An autopsy and investigation revealed evidence of physical abuse, leading to the arrest of the stepfather for intentional killing and torture, and the grandfather for intentional killing through negligence and concealing evidence.

Separately, Salim Güran, who received an aggravated life sentence for the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır, issued a letter from prison. He maintains his innocence, claiming the sole perpetrator is Nevzat Bahtiyar and asserting that phone records and witness testimony prove he was at home during the incident.