Court orders mother to be brought by force in Leyla Aydemir death case

New developments have emerged in the trial concerning the death of little Leyla Aydemir, who disappeared during the Ramadan Feast in 2018 in Ağrı and whose lifeless body was later discovered. The process has restarted at the Ağrı 1st High Criminal Court following the Supreme Court of Appeals' reversal decision.

The uncle, Yusuf Aydemir, the only defendant in custody, attended this critical hearing via SEGBİS from prison. Other defendants who are being tried without arrest, as well as the father, Nihat Aydemir, were present in the courtroom. However, her mother, Şükran Aydemir, did not attend the hearing.

Exercising his right to defense, Yusuf Aydemir claimed that he had no connection to the events and was innocent. The other defendants similarly denied the accusations and submitted their requests for acquittal to the court panel.

As the case reached a significant turning point, AFAD employee Ahmet Erdoğan, whose name was mentioned in a voice recording stating "The girl was in the cellar," was heard as a witness. Erdoğan stated that he was not the person in the voice recording and that he was not on duty on the day of the incident, rejecting the allegations.

The court panel decided to continue the detention of Yusuf Aydemir, stating that there is still strong suspicion that a crime was committed and that there is a risk of flight.

The most notable move concerned the mother, Şükran Aydemir. Emphasizing that the mother's testimony could seriously affect the course of the case, the court ordered that Şükran Aydemir be brought to the next hearing by law enforcement. It was also learned during the hearing that the mother, Şükran Aydemir, had dismissed her lawyer, Erdoğan Tunç, who had been representing her legally until now.

News Source: 12punto