Refugee mine worker’s killing: Defendants admit burning body to avoid mine closure
The trial has begun for six individuals, three of whom are in custody, in connection with the death of Vezir Mohammad Nourtani, an Afghan mine worker whose burned body was found in a forest by the roadside on November 9, 2023. The case is being heard in the 1st Heavy Penal Court and started with a session that lasted 12 hours.
The victim, Nourtani, 50, was employed at an unlicensed mine, a detail that adds a layer of complexity to the already grisly case. During the trial's opening, the presiding judge outlined the alleged coordination among the defendants to murder Nourtani and conceal their crime. This included misleading the police, breaking security cameras, misleading the victim's wife about his whereabouts, wrapping the body in a blanket, and acquiring gasoline to burn the body.
Six suspects face life sentences for killing refugee worker, burning his body
Defendants blame each other
Each defendant presented their narrative, often accusing each other of different aspects of the crime. Eray D., a defendant not in custody, claimed that after discovering Nourtani's body, he and others alerted Enver G. and Hakan K., owners of the mine, who then orchestrated moving the body to make the incident appear as if it happened outside the mine. They allegedly decided to take Nourtani to the hospital, citing an "execution order" and the illegal status of the mine as reasons for their secretive actions.
Sercan K., another defendant, described finding Nourtani lying unresponsive on the tracks, after which Alaattin Ç. performed CPR. He alleged that Hakan K. threatened him into silence regarding the incident. Alaattin Ç., who ignited the worker’s body, said he did this on the orders of Hakan K., his boss.
Hakan K., for his part, claimed that he initially suggested taking Nourtani to the hospital, but his partner Enver G. warned him that this would lead to the closure of the mine.
"I then told Eray to bring a blanket. They wrapped him in it and put him in the trunk of the car. I stopped the car because I needed to use the restroom. Then I felt a light. When I turned around, I saw that the victim was on fire. I was scared at that moment,” he continued.
“We are not monsters. If we were monsters, we wouldn't perform CPR at the mouth of the mine. I told Enver G. and Alaattin Ç. three times that we needed to take him to the hospital. My intention was to take him to the hospital. Enver G. kept drilling into my head that the mine was illegal."
Enver G., in his defense, suggested that he was under pressure from other defendants who were trying to pin the mine's management on him to evade responsibility. He described how the situation escalated to the point where the victim was allegedly burned to erase evidence, under the direction of another defendant.
Background
In the November 2023 incident, Vezir Mohammad Nourtani, a 50-year-old Afghan working in an unlicensed coal mine, was seriously injured when a wagon used to extract coal struck him.
According to information in the indictment, Nourtani was still alive when brought to the surface. However, the suspects, including mine owners Hakan K., Enver G., and Ahmet A., attempted to cover up the incident by burning his body and belongings. Mine worker Sercan K. turned the mine's security camera away. Then, along with Eray D., they burned Nourtani's clothes.
The suspects then placed Nourtani in Hakan K.'s car. After about a three-hour journey, they bought gasoline from a gas station. They then burned the man's body in the forest. The defendants also disposed of the gasoline canister and the blanket used to transport the body. (HA/VK)