Requested sentence announced in the murder of Ramazan Pişkin, known as 'Diyarbakırlı Ramazan Hoca'

In Istanbul's Fatih Cerrahpaşa neighborhood, the trial of 24-year-old detained defendant Erkan Baykut, who stabbed and killed Ramazan Pişkin, known on social media as "Diyarbakırlı Ramazan Hoca," at his tea house on January 31, began today at the Istanbul 3rd High Criminal Court on charges of 'intentional murder'. The detained defendant Baykut was brought to the hearing under gendarmerie escort. Ramazan Pişkin's family and the lawyers for both parties were also present in court.

"I WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SUBSTANCES"

In his defense in court, defendant Erkan Baykut said, "I was under the influence of substances on the day of the incident. I mistook Ramazan Pişkin for an Afghan national named Muradi. I did it with the psychology of someone who had been sexually abused. But I am not claiming that Ramazan Pişkin did this. I mistook Ramazan Pişkin for the Afghan individual. When I entered, I threw a stone at him. When he stood up, I defended myself with a knife. I was not aware of how many times I stabbed him due to the anxiety during the incident. I fled home after the incident. I completed my military service. An X-ray was taken during my military service; there is something there, but I don't know what it is." At this moment, a relative sitting in the audience intervened, saying, "It's epilepsy, Erkan, epilepsy."

In the continuation of his defense, the defendant stated that he had not received any treatment before the incident. Noting that he worked as a construction worker alongside his father, defendant Baykut said he lived sometimes at his father's shop and sometimes with his mother. Stating that he had seen Ramazan Pişkin on social media before but had never met him in person, the defendant stated that he had taken methamphetamine on the day of the incident and had been using drugs continuously since 2017. Claiming that he was beaten at the police station, defendant Erkan Baykut requested that only 65 percent of his statement to law enforcement be taken into account.

'TARIQAH' RESPONSE

To the plaintiff's lawyer's question, "Do you attend any religious community?" the defendant replied, "I used to watch religious videos, but I never went to any tariqah." The plaintiff's lawyer asked who the people in the religious videos the defendant said he watched were and whether they belonged to any community or tariqah. Defendant Baykut said, "I wasn't watching them with attention, but if I have to give a name, I was watching Kerem Önder's videos."

'HE SLAUGHTERED MY BROTHER WITH A RAMBO KNIFE'

Ramazan Pişkin's brother, Mehmet Pişkin, said, "I am a complainant against the defendant, and I am also a complainant against those who incited him. I want the defendant to be punished. My brother had no grudge against anyone. He definitely killed my brother by stabbing him in the back while he was praying. There are no signs of a struggle in the shop. Everything happened in 10 seconds. The incident was planned in advance. He slaughtered my brother by stabbing him with a Rambo knife."

PROSECUTOR ABANDONS REQUEST FOR REPORT

The trial prosecutor had previously requested a report to determine whether defendant Erkan Baykut was of sound mind. During the trial, the prosecutor stated that he was withdrawing this request, taking into account the defendant's behavior, his account of the incident, and his demeanor.

AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT REQUESTED

Announcing his opinion, the prosecutor noted that defendant Erkan Baykut had watched videos of Ramazan Pişkin published on social media before the date of the incident, that he had gone to Pişkin's workplace a few days before the incident to conduct reconnaissance, and that he had gone to Pişkin's workplace on the day of the incident with a knife capable of killing with a single strike, and that he carried out his act while Pişkin was alone in his workplace. For these reasons, the prosecutor stated that it was understood that defendant Baykut carried out his act with premeditation and requested that he be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'premeditated murder'.

HEARING POSTPONED BY 4 DAYS

When asked for his defense against the prosecutor's opinion, defendant Erkan Baykut said, "I did not kill anyone with premeditation." The court postponed the hearing to Monday, July 1, for the defendant's lawyer to prepare their defense against the prosecutor's opinion.