CHP brings up Şenyaşar family’s demand for justice at Parliament

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Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair and Denizli MP Gülizar Biçer Karaca spoke at the General Assembly of the Parliament.

In her speech yesterday (November 17), the main opposition MP talked about the Şenyaşar family, who have been keeping a justice watch in front of the Urfa courthouse in southeast Turkey for 254 days.

Emine Şenyaşar lost her spouse and two sons in an attack by the security guards and relatives of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız in Urfa. She and her son Ferit Şenyaşar, who survived the attack, have been seeking justice since then.

* Credit: JinNews

Addressing the General Assembly, Biçer Karaca underlined that "what happened in the shop [of Şenyaşar family] and what happened at the hospital are related to the law." Referring to the deadly incident at the Suruç Public Hospital, the MP said, "The investigation into the incident at the hospital is seen to continue for 41 months. The statements of any witnesses or suspects have not been taken in the course of these 41 months."

"Enver Yıldız has wiretapped talks," recalled CHP's Biçer Karaca and shared the following information: "In response to the person on the phone who asked him, 'What is it with the court thing,' Enver Yıldız said, 'I didn't go there. A new prosecutor has been appointed. If he comes, I will go and give my statement. I am at my house, my phone is on. No one has come. What happened? Our [people] apparently lynched the father at the hospital."

The MP raised concerns that no investigation has been launched into these remarks. On September 3, said Biçer Karaca, a person named İbrahim called Enver Yıldız and Enver Yıldız said that he was still waiting for the new prosecutor. Biçer Karaca asked, "10 prosecutors have changed in 41 months. What did 10 prosecutors wait for?"

Referring to the confidentiality order on the case file for months, the MP said, "We don't know what happened to the records in the file. Is there spoliation of evidence? We don't know. Is justice delayed justice? The Şenyaşar family; Emine Şenyaşar, who lost her two sons and spouse, and Ferit Şenyaşar have been keeping a justice watch in front of the courthouse for 254 days. The family wants justice and they have portrayed this as terror."

She added, "On November 13, AKP Şanlıurfa MP Mr. [Ahmet Eşref] Fakıbaba said, 'This was not a terrorist incident; I saw this, I witnessed this and it hurt my conscience when it was called a terrorist incident. I called our Chair and told him that it was not a terrorist incident and urged him to not portray it as such, I said that he should not talk about it like this."

What happened?

During the election campaign of ruling AKP Urfa MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız in Suruç, Urfa on June 14, 2018, an attack turned into an armed conflict, which claimed the lives of Yıldız's brother Mehmet Şah Yıldız, shop owner Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar and his sons Adil and Celal Şenyaşar.

Having lost his father and two brothers and been wounded himself in the incident, Fadıl Şenyaşar was discharged from hospital and detained on June 17. He was then arrested and sent to prison.

Demanding justice for two sons, husband and her arrested son, Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit Şenyaşar, who survived the attack, have been keeping a "justice watch" in front of the courthouse.

There has been a confidentiality order on the file of the investigation into the attack for 3 years, 3 months. The second appeal of the Şenyaşar family against the "confidentiality" order on the investigation into the second attack at the Suruç Public Hospital was rejected on April 21, 2021.

The Constitutional Court, to which the family appealed, has not yet given its decision. One of the demands raised by the family on their justice watch is the removal of this "confidentiality" order. (EMK/SD)