Top prosecutor challenges acquittal decision in case of 4-year-old's killing

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The Court of Cassation Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has deemed the acquittal verdict of seven defendants in the retrial of the case concerning the killing of a four-year-old.

Leyla Aydemir's body was found 18 days after she went missing in 2018 in the eastern province of Ağrı.

After reviewing an appeal filed by attorney Erdoğan Tunç, representing Leyla Aydemir's mother, Şükran Aydemir, the Prosecutor's Office examined the case and submitted it to the Court of Cassation's 1st Penal Chamber.

According to the letter of notification prepared by the Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that a social media post from a user named T.K. three days before the date Leyla Aydemir's body was found, on July 2, 2018, contained the words, "Our dear Leyla was found dead near the stream in her grandfather's village."

Attorney Erdoğan Tunç commented, "We have received the letter of notification from the Court of Cassation Prosecutor's Office. It appears that our appeals have been accepted by the Court of Cassation Prosecutor's Office, and they share the same opinion as us.

"We now expect the 1st Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation to make a decision in line with the letter of notification. This is also in line with justice and the law."

What happened?

On June 15, 2018, four-year-old Leyla Aydemir went missing while visiting her grandfather in Bezirhane village, Ağrı, during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Her body was discovered 18 days after her disappearance, among the trees near a stream close to the road leading to the city center, approximately 2 kilometers away from the village. The child's body showed no signs of violence or injury, and she was laid to rest in Bezirhane village.

In the trial concluded by Ağrı 1st Heavy Penal Court, the uncle, who was a detained defendant, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of "intentional killing" and 4 years of imprisonment for "deprivation of liberty through force and deceit." The other six defendants, who were on trial without detention, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

The uncle, who received the aggravated life sentence, was later released. The objection by the lawyers against the release was dismissed. In the retrial regarding Leyla Aydemir's death, the court acquitted all seven defendants.

The lawyers from UCIM had obtained the initial forensic report from 2018, which indicated that Leyla had been subjected to sexual abuse prior to her murder. (AÖ/VK)