Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği: We will not be silent for Narin!

The verdict was delivered yesterday in the case of 8-year-old Narin Güran, whose lifeless body was found 19 days after she went missing in Tavşantepe village in the Bağlar district of Diyarbakır. Aggravated life sentences were handed down to her mother Yüksel Güran, her brother Enes Güran, and her uncle Salim Güran. Nevzat Bahtiyar, the detained defendant who stated that he had carried Narin's lifeless body to the stream and left it there covered with stones, was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison. 

The sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar sparked public outcry. The Diyarbakır Bar Association announced that they would appeal the decision. Another reaction to the verdict came from the Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği, which had been closely following the case. In a statement, the association emphasized that the identity of the killer had not been determined, stating, "Our questions remain unanswered, our anger is alive." 

The full statement issued by the Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği is as follows: 

"We will not be silent, we will not let it be forgotten, we will grow our struggle for justice!

Yesterday, the sentences given to the defendants in the Narin Güran case were announced:

Salim Güran, Yüksel Güran, and Enes Güran were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment; Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of concealing and destroying evidence. Although the reasoned decision has not yet been announced, this verdict has neither provided justice nor quelled the anger within us.

A child's life was taken. An entire village was silenced by the power of the clan. The government turned a blind eye to this injustice. The sentences handed down today are not enough to change this reality. 

Those who claim that "justice" has been served with these sentences are the ones who reproduce this dark picture deemed appropriate for children and women. 

While they only put on a show in cases that have become public knowledge, many murders of women and children that do not make the agenda are covered up. 

This case was also concluded quickly as part of the same dark policy, but dozens of unanswered questions remain. 

The fact that the case was concluded in such a short time, along with the deficiencies in the evidence and the allegations of abuse that were not brought to the agenda, left questions unanswered. The hearings, which were turned into a spectacle, cast a shadow over the search for justice.

Our Questions Are Unanswered, Our Anger Is Alive

This case has once again revealed why our struggle against a system that disregards the right to life of women and children in Turkey is so vital. Justice can be achieved not only with sentences handed down in courtrooms, but by establishing a system that prevents such incidents from happening again.

We know that only the organized struggle of women and children can change this unjust system. Drawing strength from our anger, we will grow our struggle for a world where children are not murdered, women lead lives free from violence, and those who cause deaths do not collaborate with the government.

The memory of Narin Güran and all victims of violence will continue to live on in our struggle. We will not be silent, we will not let it be forgotten, we will grow our struggle for justice!

 #JusticeForNarin

Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği"