Trial of doctor who abused dogs to restart

Doctor Muhammet Mustafa Duman, who was being tried at the Ankara West 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance, was sentenced to a total of 9 years and 9 months in prison in recent months for committing serious crimes against dogs he had adopted and taken to his home.

Following an appellate review of the file, the 17th Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice ruled for a retrial due to "procedural deficiencies" identified in the proceedings.

According to details in the decision, it was stated that Duman brought puppies he adopted online to his home, where he first sexually assaulted them, then killed them, and disposed of the animals' carcasses in trash bags.

In the court of first instance, the defendant was sentenced to a total of approximately 10 years in prison—5 years and 2 months for the intentional killing of multiple pets and 4 years and 7 months for the crime of sexual assault against animals—while the announcement of the verdict for the charge of obscenity was deferred.

HEARING TO BE HELD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ON JANUARY 30

As a result of the review conducted by the Regional Court of Justice, a retrial was ordered on the grounds that there were significant procedural deficiencies in the file. Furthermore, it was decided that the hearing would be conducted behind closed doors for reasons of "public morality and public safety." While the defendant's continued detention was ordered, the date for the retrial was set for January 30.

Animal rights advocates had argued that the sentence received in the first trial was insufficient given the gravity of the incident.

Neşe Özkanoğlu, Vice President of the Ankara Bar Association's Animal Rights Center, drew attention to the main problems in the judicial process and concerns regarding the new developments with the following words:

"Because with this decision, the penalty for raping and killing a puppy was effectively assessed as 1 year. Now, while the file had only just been sent for appellate review, a retrial decision came from the Regional Court of Justice. The reasoning for the decision is not clear; we will see it at the hearing. Furthermore, the decision to hold the upcoming hearing behind closed doors without a justifiable reason creates suspicion that the defendant's sentence will be reduced and he will be released.

Moreover, as plaintiff attorneys, we encountered very serious irregularities during the hearings at the court of first instance. For example, our colleagues who had authorization certificates were not admitted to the hearing on the grounds that their names were not mentioned in the power of attorney. When we spoke with the clerk of the 17th Criminal Chamber of the Regional Court of Justice, which is reviewing the file, it was stated that lawyers with authorization certificates would again not be admitted to the hearing. Seeing that the irregularities are continuing, the fact that the hearing will be held behind closed doors, and that the appellate review took place at jet speed in a way we have never seen before, has increased our suspicions. We hope that we will not encounter a decision that will encourage the defendant's actions."

News Source: 12punto