Three suspects receive aggravated life sentences in Narin Güran murder case

Duvar English

A Diyarbakır court on Dec. 28 sentenced three suspects, mother Yüksel Güran, the brother Enes Güran, and the uncle Salim Güran, to aggravated life in prison in the 8-year-old Narin Güran's murder case.

Narin Güran went missing on Aug. 21 in the Tavşantepe village of the southeastern Diyarbakır province’s Bağlar district, and her dead body was found 19 days later in a nearby stream.

Nevzat Bahtiyar, a resident of the village, received four years and six months in prison over “destruction, concealment or alteration of criminal evidence.” He previously confessed that he put the dead body of the murdered girl in a stream inside a sack upon the instruction of the girl’s uncle and the village head (“mukhtar”) Salim Güran for 200,000 liras.

In the latest hearing of the case, Bahtiyar said the family was forcing him to “take all the blame.”

A Turkish court on Dec. 28 handed out final sentences for three people in the murder case of 8-year-old Narian Güran.  

The southeastern Diyarbakır province MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Sezgin Tanrıkulu attended the second hearing of the trial.

Speaking outside the courthouse, he said, "It is clear that there was negligence in gathering evidence and that some evidence was tampered with in ways that do not reflect the seriousness of this investigation."

He held, "We could have clarity about who the perpetrator was, what motivated the crime, and why Narin was killed. As a lawyer, I can say this: As of today, there is no evidence that can persuade the average citizen or observer regarding who committed the crime or why Narin was killed."

The Association for Children and Women First voiced their discontent about the verdict. Their statement read, "This verdict has neither delivered justice nor quelled our anger. A child was murdered. An entire village was silenced by the power of the tribe. The government turned a blind eye to this injustice. The penalties handed down today are insufficient to change this reality."

The association also shared a statement on its X account, saying, "While ostentatious trials are held in high-profile cases, countless murders of women and children that do not attract public attention are swept under the rug."

According to the association, the trial was hastily concluded, leaving dozens of unanswered questions. "The rapid conclusion of the trial, gaps in the evidence, and unaddressed allegations of abuse have left critical questions unanswered. Show trials have cast a shadow over the pursuit of justice," they concluded. 

Former Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Nahit Eren also spoke out after the verdict. He stated that they would appeal the four years and six months prison sentence handed to Bahtiyar.

Eren said, "Unfortunately, there was no confession regarding the crime. If Nevzat committed the murder, he should have been sentenced as a killer. Even if he did not commit the murder, based on both the evidence in the file and the fact that he hid Narin’s body in the creek for 9-10 days, I believe that Nevzat should have been sentenced for complicity in the intentional murder of a child."

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş also stated that the ministry would appeal Bahtiyar’s sentence. "We are waiting for the detailed justification for this ruling," Göktaş said.

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