Mother of 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan, who was taken from life, speaks out: She demands justice

The incident that took place in the evening hours of January 14 in Istanbul's Güngören district ended in horror. A dispute broke out between two groups who did not know each other in Mehmet Nesih Özmen Neighborhood, Emek Street, due to an alleged 'glance'. The argument, which grew quickly, turned into a knife fight. 15-year-old E.Ç. wounded 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan in the chest area with a switchblade he was carrying. Seriously injured, Çağlayan was taken to Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital by an ambulance that arrived at the scene, but he lost his life despite all interventions.

POLICE DETAINED THE SUSPECT

Immediately after the incident, E.Ç. was caught and detained by police teams. The suspect was taken into custody along with the knife he was carrying. The investigation is ongoing.

“THEY KILLED MY CHILD, I WANT JUSTICE”

Gülhan Çağlayan, who went to the scene after receiving the news of her son Atlas's death, made statements in tears. Çağlayan demanded justice, saying, “I want justice for my Atlas. My son was stabbed by criminals in front of the coffee shop he went to every day. I want our voice to be heard. The people who did this to my child are 15 years old, but they are not 15-year-old children; they are 15-year-old criminals. I put my son under the ground, and I want them to serve their sentence for a lifetime.”

“HE DIDN'T EVEN LIVE FOR HALF AN HOUR”

Gülhan Çağlayan described what she experienced regarding her son's death with these words: “My son was at home, waiting for me. I came home, he said, ‘Mom, I'm going to my brother.’ He had gone to a cafe with my other son. My son Atlas waited for me, then he left. I said, ‘Don't be late, I'll worry,’ but he went. Not even half an hour passed before his twin brother called. He said, ‘Mom, they stabbed my brother, he's dying, come quickly.’ I saw my son struggling for his life. They were performing CPR, but his face was dark purple, all his blood was gone. The ambulance arrived very late, but his heart was restarted. When we went to the hospital, he was taken into emergency surgery, and despite an hour and a half of intervention, he lost his life without even living for half an hour.”

“MAY HE SERVE A LIFE SENTENCE”

Stating that she wants her son's killer to pay the price, Gülhan Çağlayan said, “That criminal, that murderer killed my child. It is not clear what will happen to him. I want him to serve a life sentence. I want justice for Atlas. I want everyone to hear my voice.”