Gülistan Doku investigation reaches former Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel: Suspended from duty

New developments have emerged in the case of university student Gülistan Doku, who went missing in Tunceli in January 2020. As part of the investigation conducted following Doku's disappearance, a total of 13 people were taken into custody, and it was learned that the suspects included Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel.

Following the emergence of these allegations, it was reported that former governor Tuncay Sonel was suspended from duty over claims of "destroying, concealing, or altering evidence of a crime."

It was also announced that authorization for an official investigation into Sonel has been granted.

OFFICIAL LETTER FROM THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

The Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office submitted a written application to the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the details of the file.

The letter stated that the investigation file numbered 2020/52 includes allegations of "intentional homicide, sexual assault, concealing or destroying evidence of a crime, unlawful access to an information system and tampering with data, deprivation of liberty, failure to report a crime, and harboring a criminal." In this context, it was stated that sufficient suspicion of crime has been established regarding the actions of the then-Governor Tuncay Sonel as reflected in the file.

The official document forwarded by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to Erzurum included the following statements:

"Within the scope of the investigation being conducted by our Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office under file number 2020/52 for the crimes of Intentional Homicide, Sexual Assault, Concealing-Destroying Evidence of a Crime, Unlawful Access to an Information System and Destroying-Tampering with Data, Deprivation of Liberty, Failure to Report a Crime, and Harboring a Criminal, dated 05/01/2020, 13 suspects, including Mustafa Türkay SONEL, the son of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay SONEL, were apprehended and taken into custody. Based on the information and documents presented in the annex and the current state of evidence, it has been concluded that there is sufficient suspicion of crime that the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay SONEL committed the acts regulated under Article 281/1-2 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). However, as the accusations and allegations regarding Tuncay SONEL constitute personal crimes, and pursuant to Article 161/6 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK) No. 5271, which stipulates that the authority to investigate personal crimes of governors belongs to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the province where the Regional Court of Justice, to which the province where they served at the time of the crime is affiliated, is located, it is requested that your Chief Public Prosecutor's Office evaluate the situation regarding Tuncay SONEL based on the current state of evidence; and that the necessary actions be taken and executed."

Following the intensification of allegations against Governor Sonel, an inspector assigned by the Ministry of Interior has also begun investigations into the incident. The course the investigation will take in the coming days is a matter of curiosity.