New development in the Narin Güran murder case: Trial judge reported to the HSK

A lawsuit was filed at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court against 4 individuals regarding the death of Narin Güran, whose lifeless body was found in a sack in a stream bed, covered with three stones weighing 30, 25, and 20 kilograms and hidden by bushes, on the 19th day of search efforts after she went missing on August 21, 2024, in the rural Tavşantepe neighborhood of the Bağlar district.

In the second hearing of the case held on December 28, Narin's uncle Salim Güran, her brother Enes Güran, and her mother Yüksel Güran were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional killing of a child in participation,' while Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of 'destroying, concealing, or altering evidence of a crime.'

LAWSUIT AGAINST 15 DEFENDANTS, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN

The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also filed a lawsuit at the Diyarbakır 17th Criminal Court of First Instance against detained suspects Birsen Güran, Fuat Güran, Maşallah Güran, Salim Güran's employee Mehmet Selim Atasoy, Mehmet Şevket Kaya, and Muhammed Kaya, as well as non-detained suspects Şeyma Kaya, Hediye Güran, İbrahim Halil Güran, Barış Güran, Kurtuluş Güran, and Ömer Faruk Güran for the crime of 'aiding and abetting a criminal.'

The indictment prepared for the non-detained children M.G. (15), I.K. (16), and R.A. (15) for the crime of 'aiding and abetting a criminal' was also accepted by the Diyarbakır 2nd Juvenile Court. Subsequently, the two case files were merged.

COMPLAINT TO THE HSK BY THE GÜRAN FAMILY'S LAWYERS

Following the first hearing of the case held at the 17th Criminal Court of First Instance on April 14, the lawyers for the defendants from the Güran family filed a complaint against the trial judge with the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) on April 17.

The petition stated that the defense phase began without reminding the defendants of their right to remain silent and other rights, and without the prosecutor reading the indictment; it also noted that an irrelevant association was included as a participant in the case, and that the lower limit for the crime the defendants were being tried for was 6 months, yet the time they had spent in detention exceeded 7 months, requesting that an investigation be opened into the presiding judge.

After the second hearing held on April 25, the prosecutor completed their final opinion on the merits. The opinion requested prison sentences ranging from 6 months to 5 years for the 15 defendants, including 6 who are detained and 3 who are children.

In the third hearing held on May 2, the court panel decided to continue the detention of the detained defendants and adjourned the hearing to May 30 for the defense attorneys who presented excuses to make their final statements on the merits.

TRIAL JUDGE REPORTED TO THE HSK FOR THE SECOND TIME

Mehmet Selim Atasoy, who is being tried while in detention, also filed a complaint against the trial judge with the HSK through his lawyer, Mehmet Selim Aslan. The petition dated May 2 included the following statements:

“I observed that the evidence I presented at the hearing was not taken into account in any way and that the decision was made solely based on the statements of the opposing party. This situation shows that the judge has lost impartiality and is not making objective decisions. Even though there is no accusation against my client Mehmet Selim Atasoy, the judge decided to continue my client's detention at the hearing on 02.05.2025.

The accusation against my client is that his statements contradict those of the other defendants. While this cannot even be considered an accusation, the decision to continue my client's detention for this reason clearly shows bad faith. The judge is acting in bad faith and is intentionally and deliberately tormenting my client. Although Article 148 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK) very clearly states that a person is not obliged to tell the truth regarding the subject they are accused of, except for their own identity information, we cannot explain this to the judge. Or, the judge does not want to understand us.

The same judge released a person who wounded two different people with a gun, causing bone fractures, without ever detaining them. The file number for this case is 2025/152, and this case is also being conducted by this judge. In line with the reasons stated above, I respectfully request and demand that the necessary examination be conducted regarding the judge and that disciplinary proceedings and a judicial investigation be initiated due to failure to act impartially and misconduct in office.”

‘THEY FIRE 18 BULLETS AT 2 PEOPLE AND ARE RELEASED’

Lawyer Mehmet Selim Aslan stated that the suspect who wounded 2 people with a gun in an incident that occurred in 2024 and was also reflected on security cameras was released by the same judge, but his client Mehmet Selim Atasoy has been in detention for 8 months, and said the following:

“I am the lawyer for R.A. and his father Mehmet Selim Atasoy in the file known to the public as the Narin Güran murder case. My client has been in detention for more than 8 months. My client is detained for a crime with a lower limit of 6 months and an upper limit of 5 years. We have openly applied to the HSK to voice this issue and the violations of law. Because we realized that we could no longer find a solution here. We believe that the judge is acting in bad faith.

In November 2024, an individual comes along and fires 18 bullets at 2 people. Both have bone fractures, and although both were actually victims of attempted murder, the case is filed at the Criminal Court of First Instance. There is actually a weapon here, which carries a sentence of 2 to 4 years. Because there are 2 people, the suspect is released on the same day, walking out freely, for a crime with a lower limit of 6 years and an upper limit of 14 years. The same judge and the same prosecutor release this person. Regarding the subject of our HSK complaint petition, we believe that the judge is not actually acting impartially and is receiving orders and instructions from someone.

Because people who should not have stayed in detention for even a single day in this file have been detained for 8 months. I have already stated these in the HSK complaint petition. Despite clearly stating that, according to Article 148 of the CMK, a person is not obliged to tell the truth regarding a subject they are accused of, except for their own identity information, my client Mehmet Selim Atasoy has been detained unfairly and unlawfully for 8 months under the pretext that his statement contradicts that of Salim Güran.”