Living with unpunished killers and the covered-up Sinan Ateş murder

These days, I have countless questions in my mind regarding justice in Turkey. 

So much so that I had the opportunity to ask the most painful of these questions 12punto to Istanbul Bar Association President Filiz Saraç in the studio. 

I asked how it is possible that many crimes, from murders to minor offenses, go unpunished, and that those who kill people are released in a short time. 

Bar Association President Filiz Saraç's response was "Inability to govern, failure to properly establish the execution regime, failure to properly monitor individuals with criminal potential, making mistakes with certain amnesty laws or practices enacted inappropriately, and the fact that not bringing those who should be brought before the judiciary leads to impunity." it was. 

A friend who came to drop off a wedding invitation at my house a few days later expressed concern about the neighborhood where he was going to live, mentioning two killers who lived in the area where he had rented his home. 

He explained that he could not fathom how these individuals remained free despite having committed murder. 

In other words, the same questions that no one can comprehend or find answers to were gnawing at his mind as well. 

Living with unpunished killers... Or living with people 'eager to commit crimes' who know that no matter what they do, they will not face serious sanctions, sometimes backed by the judiciary and sometimes by money and crime barons... 

Let's assume this situation is due to the wheels of the justice system not turning or malfunctioning, and attribute it to various reasons. 

But what are we to say about injustices committed in plain sight? 

On December 30, 2022, former Idealist Hearths (Ülkü Ocakları) President and academic Sinan Ateş was shot and killed. His killer was caught. 17 months have passed. The Sinan Ateş indictment has been prepared. 

Yet, the 145-page indictment does not even mention that Ateş was the former president of the Idealist Hearths. It also does not state why he was killed. However, it is known by everyone that after the MHP leadership removed Ateş from his post, they accused him of being close to the IYI Party and of being a FETÖ member, and that Ateş was threatened and targeted. 

Following the murder of Ateş, his family endured immense suffering.

His father recently passed away after suffering a heart attack. Calls were made to the highest levels of politics, including President Erdoğan, to shed light on the Ateş murder. The murder was kept in the public eye as much as possible. However, no progress is being made. 

While everything is so clear and journalists who openly write about the details of the incident face the risk of arrest, justice is not being served. 

Perhaps the day we realize that humanity cannot find peace where there is no conscience or justice, we might take a small step toward building a fair Turkey...