Court president in Dina's case: 'There is no racism in Turkey'

The second hearing of the trial regarding the death of Gabonese university student Jeannah Dinabongho Ibouanga, whose lifeless body was found in the Filyos River in Zonguldak Karabük on March 26, 2023, took place today (January 24).

According to information shared on social media by the Feminist Lawyers who attended Dina's trial, not all spectators were allowed into the courtroom.

At the beginning of the hearing, the presiding judge addressed the "Feminists for Dina" by saying, "Why do you come in such large numbers, what happens when you come in a crowd?"

During the hearing, Dina's father and mother were heard as participants.

TRIAL REGARDING MURDER OF GABONESE UNIVERSITY STUDENT DINA STARTS:

Feminist lawyers of Dina's case: 'There has not been an effective investigation'

8 November 2023

In the hearing, Dina's father said, "My daughter received threats. She came to Turkey at a young age and was murdered."

Her mother stated, "I am filing a complaint. We spoke at 20:12 Gabon time, but we didn't have many opportunities to talk. I called all night, but couldn't reach her. On Friday, she called me crying. She had gone to the PTT for the second time for a package. They told her if she wanted to get her phone back, she had to spend the night with them. The reason she wanted to go to Sakarya was that she felt in danger. She said she experienced racism. I lost Dina, and I will never see her again. I want the truth to come out. What happened in the basement of that building? When we came to get her body, forensic experts were with us. They saw Dina screaming in that basement. Who held her there against her will?"

Harassment did not go on record; lawyers reacted

Lawyers expressed their reaction to the court president for not recording the part where the harassment by PTT employees was described.

Subsequently, the Feminist Lawyers spoke. They stated, "From the documents and statements in the file, we see that Dina, as a black immigrant woman, faced discrimination. We see that Dina was afraid of dying."

The presiding judge then asked, "If that's the case, what was she doing at the congress of Gabonese students on the same day?"

Following this, the lawyers warned the judge not to make comments, stating that he shouldn't be biased. 

Lawyer's requests

They continued as follows: "In this trial, we see clear examples of the male judiciary taking a biased stance in favor of men. We have requested a new inspection summarizing what happened in the basement on the day Dina died, the screams heard, the found torn hair, and how she ran out of there barefoot according to witness accounts.

We also requested the determination of a date for an inspection to be conducted at the Filyos River. We demand the testimonies of Gabonese witnesses through the letters rogatory. We request the testimony in court of the witness heard during the investigation stage, who saw Dina jumping out of the defendant Dursun A.'s car and the defendant following her.

We request the examination of Dina's diary, said to be in the forensic evidence, and the testimonies of the two individuals for whom a decision of non-prosecution was made. It is established in the file that other witnesses identified these two individuals, owning the same car as the one described.

It is evident that these individuals, who took photos of Dina's apartment, called her down, and were present at the scene according to the call records at the time of the incident, have firsthand information. We want to make a statement about the defendant Dursun A. All of the defendant's statements are contradictory.

Dina doesn't know Turkish; it's not possible for her to make hospital preferences, say 'my mother beat me,' ask for her phone, or make calls. The defendant has changed his statement with each new piece of evidence, using abstract denial. He denied entering the side road to the Filyos River until he was questioned again based on the camera footage. In the end, he stated that he followed Dina 'with the intention of helping.'"

Court president: "There is no racism in Turkey"

Speaking after the lawyers, the panel president stated, "There is no racism in Turkey. If there were racism, ten thousand students wouldn't be here. Don't create material for the media here. Why didn't the mother take her daughter from here then?" Another member judge added, "You are accusing the people of Karabük."

Later, the defendant Dursun A. stated that he "only picked up Dina in his car to help."

In his defense, the defendant continued, "I entered prison under the influence of the media without any guilt. I didn't deserve this."

After the defense by the defendant's lawyers, the court decided to continue the detention of the defendant Dursun A. and postponed the trial to April 29. (RT/PE)