HDP MP asks why ‘Leyla Aydemir case is covered up’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Ağrı MP Dirayet Dilan Taşdemir has submitted a Parliamentary question about the death of Leyla Aydemir.

Gone missing in Turkey's eastern province of Ağrı in 2018, 4-year-old Aydemir was found dead after some time. It has recently been understood that the first forensic medical report on Aydemir referred to signs of sexual abuse, but these findings were not added to the case file.

Addressing a Parliamentary question to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services within this context, HDP MP Taşdemir has referred to an interview given by an observant attorney from the UCİM association against the sexual abuse of children to bianet:

'DNA samples not taken from defendants, Leyla'

"The attorney said that their requests for intervening in the case file was not accepted, they had problems with accessing the documents as the authorization granted by the Ağrı Bar coincided with the appeals proceedings, they were prevented in a sense and they could finally access the content of the file on the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP).

"When the attorneys accessed the file and examined all reports together with forensic medical experts, they found that Leyla Aydemir had been abused, according to the remarks in the first forensic medical report issued in 2018. The fact that the reports issued afterwards contained remarks to the contrary and that the prosecutor and judge who saw the first report took no step to solve the issue lead to several blemishes.

"According to the attorneys, following this first report, the prosecutor, without losing any time, should have taken DNA samples from all defendants and Leyla and dealt with this issue to find matching DNAs.

"Moreover, the request for transferring the case to another province as Ağrı is a small province, the defendants are siblings and/or acquaintances has not yet been met and no day has been set for a new hearing."

'Will there be any consequences?'

Against the backdrop of these recent developments, HDP Ağrı MP Taşdemir has asked a series of questions about the issue:

• How many children were sexually abused from 2018 to 2021? How many children got missing? What is their distribution by gender?
• Does your Ministry have any work undertaken with the aim of inquiring the problems of sexually abused children, discussing holistic solutions oriented towards protecting the rights and freedoms of children and developing preventive mechanisms?
• Considering the statements of UCİM attorneys about the process, will you undertake any inquiries as to the closure of the case file?
• What kind of sanctions do you foresee for the prosecutor, judge and all related parties who ignored the first report and did not conduct a just investigation and prosecution process?
• Will there be any inquiry into the reason behind the failure to meet the request for moving the case to another province, considering the unique circumstances of the incident in question?
• Will you, as the Ministry, take any initiatives to ensure that a new investigation is quickly conducted with the aim of taking DNA samples from the defendants and making post mortem examinations on Leyla?
• What is the actual reason behind the attempt of covering up the case of Leyla Aydemir?

What happened?

The final hearing of the lawsuit filed into the death of Leyla Aydemir (4) in Ağrı was held at the Ağrı 1st Heavy Penal Court on October 2, 2020.

Gone missing in the village of Bezirhane (Bezirgane) on June 15, 2018, Leyla Aydemir's deceased body was found 18 days later. Yusuf Aydemir, the paternal uncle of the girl, was arrested pending trial.

Handing down its judgement, the court board ruled that Yusuf Aydemir should be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on charge of "wilful murder" without any sentence reductions or good conduct time.

The board also ruled that all other defendants who were not arrested should be acquitted of the offense charged.

While the paternal uncle was given an aggravated life sentence by the local court, he was then released. The attorneys' appeal against his release was rejected. (AÖ/SD)