Thousands across Turkey protest murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran

Thousands across Turkey have gathered to protest the murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Protesters demand better child protection services in place and blame authorities for not finding Narin sooner.

Tuesday September 10 2024 08:00 am

Women's platforms in Istanbul hold a banner that reads, "We shall avenge Narin."

Duvar English

Women’s organizations in Turkey’s Istanbul, and eastern Van, Diyarbakır, and Dersim provinces have protested the murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Narin had been missing for 19 days, and her body was discovered on Sept. 8 by search parties in a nearby riverbed.

At a protest in front of Istanbul’s Kadıköy Süreyya Opera House on Sept. 8, women holding posters of a young girl chanted, "We will seek justice for Narin" and "Killer government."

In a joint statement, protesters said, "Schools open tomorrow. Narin could have gone to school, but instead, we are discussing her death."

Fidan Ataselim, General Secretary of the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, spoke at the protest. She said, "Narin's lifeless body was found, but we have not found justice.” The speaker demanded the Turkish Justice Minister to lift the broadcast ban imposed on the incident.

The ban was lifted on Sept. 9, and details about Güran’s autopsy and anonymous witness accounts began surfacing.

Protests were also held in the southeastern Diyarbakır and eastern Van provinces.

In Diyarbakır, the Free Women’s Movement, the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party organized a march to protest Narin's murder.

Thousands gathered in front of the DBP provincial building and marched to Sheikh Said Square, carrying Narin's photos. Members of the Amed Children’s Rights Commission, Amed Violence Prevention Network, and Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKAP) joined the march.

Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality co-mayors Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun participated in the protest. Speaking at the event, Hatun expressed their sorrow and anger, saying, "Unfortunately, all of our institutions—municipality, gendarmerie, police, AFAD—failed in this case. On behalf of the municipality, we apologize to our people. We must ensure that no other family loses their child like this. We must all make this promise together."

In Van, members of the Labor and Democracy Platform marched with claps and chants. During the march, the crowd frequently chanted, "Justice for Narin, justice for all."

Protesters in Van carry a banner that reads, "A safe world for children, justice for Narin."

Marchers carried a banner that read, "A safe world for children, justice for Narin" in Kurdish. Hundreds of people holding Narin's photos gathered at Sanat Street, where a press statement was made.

Funda Demir Bozkurt, Co-Chair of the Educators’ Union (Eğitim Sen)'s Van Branch, read the statement on behalf of the Labor and Democracy Platform.

“Media speculation about this case, the delayed collection of DNA evidence from a car, inconsistent and contradictory statements, the confidentiality order, and broadcast bans all suggest that certain forces within the state are deliberately protecting the perpetrators,” stated Bozkurt.

The fact that Narin's body was found so close to her home after many days supported this conclusion, according to the protesters.

The group also drew attention to the larger issue of child safety In Turkey, where an average of 32 children went missing every day.

“Unfortunately, state officials only react momentarily, in a non-functional and temporary manner, when children's rights are violated, when they go missing, or when they die,” the statement read.

Protesters in Dersim hold a banner that reads, "Rage in our grief, justice for Narin."

Bozkurt continued, “We want to stress that Narin Güran is not the first child to be ripped away from life like this. We know that similar stories lie behind the deaths of Müslime Yağal, Leyla Akdemir, and many others. If the necessary preventive and protective measures had been taken after these children were killed, Narin would be alive today.”