Deadly racist attack in Konya: 2-minute footage deleted

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The trial where nine people are facing charges over the killing of seven people from the Dedeoğulları family in Konya on July 30, 2021 continued at the Konya 4th High Criminal Court yesterday (April 19).

The hearing was attended by Çetin Dedeoğulları, the only member of the family who survived, the relatives of the family, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Tülay Hatimoğulları, Mahmut Toğrul and Garo Paylan as well as lawyers from the bar associations in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır, Van, Urfa, Siirt, Hakkari, Batman and Muş provinces.

Several journalists also followed the hearing.

Arrested pending trial, perpetrator Mehmet Altun and defendants Lütfi and Ali Keleş attended the hearing via video conference by using the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS). The other defendants who are not arrested were not present in the courtroom.

Mehmet Altun's 16-year-old nephew and Ayşe Keleş's son Ahmet Keleş was also at court to be heard as a witness. However, he said that he did not want to testify as a witness and refused to testify.

Bar associations' requests rejected

Taking the floor at the hearing, Siirt Bar Association Chair Kenan Bilge said that the trial is about the brutal massacre of a family of seven:

There are indicators suggesting that the act was committed in an organized manner and with racist motives. It is also a historical responsibility on the part of the court to hold an effective trial. While the act of attempted murder on May 12 was apparent, the massacre happened on July 30 due to the measures not taken. There is a de facto and de jure connection between the two incidents. A family has been deprived of their right to live.

The bar association chair requested involvement in the trial. Speaking after Bilge, other bar chairs also made requests for involvement in the trial. However, the court did not accept their requests.

'Witness statements are contradictory'

Taking the floor afterwards, lawyer Atilla Kart said that "the use of material findings outside their purposes and the court's behavior by knowing this affect the course of the trial." He underlined that "the material dimension of the evidence must be addressed within the file's scope."

Recalling that witness statements were heard at the hearing on February 8 after the lawyers left the court hall, he said, "All of these witnesses made statements to protect the perpetrator. They are inacceptable".

Lawyer Kart also mentioned the contradictions in the statements of the women working in Ayşe Keleş's agricultural field:

Ayşe Keleş, primarily responsible for the development of the massacre, said that there was only one gunshot on the day of the massacre. However, a person working for her said that she had heard five gunshots. Another one said that she had heard a couple of shots. Witnesses make contradictory statements. The court did not feel the need to eliminate these contradictions. Ayşe Karaca warned Ayşe Keleş on the day of the massacre. She said, 'Don't come here, they will put the blame on you.' Ayşe Karaca's statements are very important, but the court does not push it.

Report added to file 9 months later

Noting that there are two documents about the attack on May 12, the lawyer said that the crime scene investigation report shows the connection between the two court cases, one over the attack on May 12 and the other one over the deadly attack on July 30, 2021:

"Serpil Dedeoğulları called the police on May 12; but officers came 3 hours later. It is written in the report that the incident happened in the garden. The report proves that it did not happen between the gardens.

"Another report, the report of the Security, says that the incident was 'a fight among neighbors'. This report was uploaded to the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) 9 months later."

Kart said that this report was signed by a team of four police officers and the report was prepared by them:

"If this team of four police officers came to the scene of the incident at around 10 pm, why did the crime scene investigation team arrive there 3 hours later? There is nothing credible about this. The impression that the incident happened between two houses was created on purpose. This was what was desired to be done. A report was prepared contrary to this."

'It smells of hatred towards Kurds'

Lawyer Atilla Kart underlined that the fact that the attack was carried out in an organized manner was also seen in the WhatsApp messages and recalled a phone call between Veli and his son Ali in prison where they said, "Have the Kurds come to their senses?"

Indicating that even this conversation between the two shows that the attack was organized, the massacred family's lawyer Kart said, "These conversations stink of hatred and hostility towards Kurds."

Footage deleted

Kart also said, "It is seen that a 2-minute footage taken on the day of the incident is not in the records. 2 minutes after the perpetrator left the house of the Dedeoğulları are not there. How did it get missing?"

Noting that these questions are to be answered by the prosecutor and the law enforcement, the lawyer said, "We know that the persons whom the murderer were affiliated with came in a Mercedes car in those 2 minutes and that this car had been there before."

What happened?

An armed assailant raided the house of Dedeoğulları family in Konya's Meram in the evening hours on July 30. He shot seven family members to death, set the house on fire and ran away.

Several police and paramedic teams were referred to the scene of the incident upon reports. The dead bodies of Yaşar Dedeoğulları, Barış Dedeoğulları, Serpil Dedeoğulları, Serap Dedeoğulları, İpek Dedeoğulları, Metin Dedeoğulları and Sibel Dedeoğulları were found at home which was first raided by the perpetrator, then set on fire before leaving.

As part of the investigation launched into the attack, 10 people from the Keleş and Altun families and murder suspect Mehmet Altun were arrested.

Along with the assailant, 13 people in total were arrested. But except for Mehmet Altun, all defendants were released in following weeks.

In the indictment, a life sentence aggravated for seven times has been requested for nine defendants for instigating the crime; Mehmet Altun, the murder suspect, also faces a life sentence aggravated for seven times for "premeditated murder with monstrous feelings."

Attack on May 12

Living in the same neighborhood for 24 years, the Dedeoğulları family was subjected to the racist attack of nearly 60 people on May 12. "We are [ultranationalist] idealists, we will not let you live here," a racist group threatened the family and severely wounded 7 family members, including four women. Of the 7 people arrested after the attack, 5 were released.

Lawyer Abdurrahman Karabulut filed a criminal complaint against the local authorities and provincial and district security directors who had not taken adequate measures to protect the family before the attack and the prosecutor and penal judge of peace who had not responded to the requests for protection on charge of "neglect of duty". (HA/SD)