Heavy prison sentences requested for defendants in Parliament abuse case
In the sexual abuse case involving students aged 15-18 interning in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) kitchen, the prosecutor has requested prison sentences of up to 16 years and 6 months for 5 defendants who exploited the convenience provided by their public duties.
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The third hearing of the case opened against individuals accused of "sexual abuse" and "sexual harassment" of female students working as interns at the TBMM was held at the Ankara 57th Criminal Court of First Instance. While the non-detained defendant Ramazan Çetin attended the hearing in person, the other defendants, İbrahim Beşlioğlu, Halil İlker Güner, Recep Seven, and Durmuş Uğurlu, connected via the SEGBİS system from the prisons where they are being held.
OPINION ON THE MERITS ANNOUNCED: REQUEST FOR INCREASED SENTENCES
The Public Prosecutor presented their opinion on the merits to the court at the current stage of the trial. The opinion emphasized that the defendants carried out their actions against the interns under the roof of the TBMM by "taking advantage of the convenience provided by their public duty and service relationship." In this context, it was requested that the defendants be sentenced to between 4 and a half years and 16 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of "qualified sexual abuse against a child in a chain manner," moving away from the lower limit.
DEFENDANT DEFENSES: THEY DENIED THE ACCUSATIONS
Taking the floor at the hearing, one of the defendants, İbrahim Beşlioğlu, claimed that the messages he sent were not sexual in nature, stating, "She was not an intern when I sent the messages; I wrote for the purpose of conversation. I request my release." Another defendant, Halil İlker Güner, argued that he had no physical contact and requested his release. The lawyers for the victims, however, stated that expert reports confirmed the contacts the defendants had established with the victims, noting that the defendants' statements were aimed at escaping punishment.
The court panel decided to continue the current detention status of the defendants and granted the parties time to prepare their defenses against the prosecutor's opinion. The next hearing was adjourned to June 5.