* Photo: Aygül Doku's Twitter account
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It has been 783 days as of today (February 24) since university student Gülistan Doku went missing in Turkey's eastern Dersim province.
The request for the establishment of a Parliamentary Investigation Commission for her has been rejected by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The family of Gülistan Doku have recently been in the capital city of Ankara, attending the Parliamentary weekly group meetings of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), İYİ Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) over the past two days.
The Parliamentary inquiry to investigate the fate and whereabouts of Doku was submitted to the Speaker's Office by the HDP.
Speaking about the inquiry, HDP Muş MP Şevin Coşkun said that the proceedings regarding her disappearance were not transparently carried out.
She recalled that when Doku's mother, father and elder sister went in front of the Justice Ministry to meet Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ yesterday (February 23), they were taken into custody by the police.
"It is the responsibility of all of us to bring the fate and whereabouts of Gülistan Doku to light; an investigation commission should be established as soon as possible so that the perpetrators are identified and brought before justice," said HDP MP Şevin Coşkun about the inquiry.
CHP and İYİ Party supported the inquiry
While İYİ Party Aksaray MP Ayhan Erel called on the Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior to fulfill their duties, CHP Dersim MP Polat Şaroğlu said that they, as the CHP, supported the Parliamentary inquiry so that what happened could be investigated in all aspects.
AKP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Muhammet Emin Akbaşoğlu, on the other hand, argued that the family of Gülistan Doku were never subjected to detention and said, "Considering that battery and other issues may be raised, they were examined at the hospital as a precaution."
'No weakness'
In a written statement on his Twitter account, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that "the state made serious efforts by its all means and with sincerity" and added that "no weakness is the case here."
What happened?University student Gülistan Doku did not return to the Credit and Dormitories (KYK) Women's Dormitory on January 5, 2020. As her roommates could not reach her by phone, they got worried and appealed to the Tunceli Provincial Directorate of Security. Her family was also informed about the issue. The family came to Dersim on January 6 and reported Gülistan Doku missing at the security directorate. Consulting her friends and tracking the signals of her mobile phone, police officers also examined the city surveillance cameras and found that she got on the university minibus at the bus stop in Atatürk Neighborhood at 11.29. However, even though the city surveillance cameras along the way were examined, it could not be determined where she got off. The driver of the minibus was identified and summoned to depose. The driver said that the minibus did not enter the university as it was Sunday, the minibus returned empty and he could not remember where Gülistan Doku got off. It is speculated that Doku got off at Sarı Saltuk Bridge in the city center, the only bus stop outside the sight of surveillance cameras. Thanks to the struggle of women and the Doku family, the authorities decided to drain the water of the dam to find her. On June 17, a petition was submitted to the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to arrest Zeınal Abarakov, the chief suspect of the file. On August 29, the expert report was completed. Afterwards, Ali Çimen, the attorney of the Doku family, made another application for the arrest of Abaravakov. Rejecting this request, the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided to take his deposition. On August 4, the expert review of the footage that allegedly shows Gülistan Doku jumping off a bridge was completed. According to the review by the National Criminal Bureau firm, what is seen in the footage is not Doku jumping off the Dinar Bridge, where she was last seen, but "residual pixels." "The effect on the bridge abutment is a pixel residue and definitely not a water column created by a person or object that falls into the water," the report concluded. In a statement released by the Tunceli Governor's Office on August 18, 2020, it was announced that the search efforts ongoing in the dam ended. Coordinated by the Governor's Office, search efforts started in the dam again on October 15. However, they ended again on November 24, 2020. |
(RT/SD)
