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The hearing in the trial concerning the killing of Ali İsmail Korkmaz during Gezi Resistance demonstrations was held today (April 5) after the Supreme Court of Appeal had reversed the lower court's decision on the two suspects of the case.
Police officer Hüseyin Engin, a suspect acquitted by the lower court for whom the Supreme Court had later demanded punishment for bodily harm, has been sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison and his sentence has been deferred.
Ebubekir Harlar, an other suspect in the trial who was released earlier by the lower court, has been sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison.
Prosecution demanded that the court follow supreme court's decision
Suspect Harlar and the family of Korkmaz attended the hearing held before Kayseri 3rd High Criminal Court.
According to the information Korkmaz's attorneys shared on Twitter, suspect Harlar insisted on a decision similar to the contested decision and Kokrmaz's family demanded punishment for all the suspects.
Testifying before Eskişehir 1st High Criminal Court, police officer Hüseyin Engin asked for being acquitted stating that he was retired.
The prosecution demanded that both suspects be convicted in line with the ruling of the supreme court reversing the lower court's contested decision. The court has decided to pass a verdict in accordance with the supreme court's ruling.
Police officer Hüseyin Engin, acquitted earlier, has been sentenced to 6 months in prison. His punishment has been increased to 9 months since he was a public officer and reduced to 7 months and 15 days upon discretionary mitigation.
Harlar, released earlier taken the time into consideration he had already served under arrest, has been sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison reduced from 8 years in prison.
Attorney Erdoğan: Waiting for Constitutional Court's decision
Attorney Ayhan Erdoğan speaking to bianet has stated that they would appeal against the decision concerning police officer Engin.
Noting that they had already challenged the lower court's decision observing "causing death as a result of bodily harm" and demanded the main suspect Mevlüt Saldoğan be convicted of "willful murder", attorney Erdoğan added that the supreme court has sustained the objection and that they have brought the case to the Constitutional Court.
"If our claim is granted [by the Constitutional Court] other civil participants, accomplices and the other police officer Yalçın Akbulut will also get punishments related to willful murder. Only then true justice will be served", Erdoğan said.
What happened?
Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a freshman in English teaching at Anadolu University, attended Gezi Resistance demonstrations in the central province of Eskişehir on June 3.
He was battened by a group of casually-dressed people, as he was running away from a police intervention with gas bombs.
Arriving at Yunus Emre Public Hospital, Korkmaz allegedly was not admitted by officials who told him to testify to police headquarters initially.
Similarly, officials refused to admit him the next morning. Korkmaz struggled to find a police station to testify with his situation worsening.
Finally he was admitted to Eskişehir Public Hospital and diagnosed with "brain hemorrhage". He was later on transferred to Osmangazi Medical School Hospital.
Operated, Korkmaz was unresponsive since June 4, 2015, and lost his life on July 10 after 38 days of coma.
His family filed complaints against Yunus Emre Public Hospital with a prosecutor launching an investigation on the case. (BK/DG)
