Significant development in the 'Esra Hankulu' case: Sentence upheld

The Chamber has completed its appellate review of the verdict rendered by the Ankara 9th High Criminal Court on April 13, 2022.

Accordingly, it was decided to uphold the 10-year prison sentence given to Uygun for the crime of 'causing death by intentional injury' due to Hankulu's death.

Furthermore, it was ruled that Uygun's request for release be denied.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

According to the indictment by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, police teams who went to a house in the Akdere neighborhood of the Mamak district on August 3, 2021, determined that 25-year-old Esra Hankulu had lost her life.

Following this, Ümitcan Uygun, Furkan Gürgil, and Dilan Civelek, who were staying in the same house as Hankulu on the night of the incident, were taken into custody.

It was requested that defendant Uygun be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional killing of a person unable to defend themselves,' and that non-detained defendants Gürgil and Civelek be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison each for 'concealing evidence of a crime.'

The Ankara 9th High Criminal Court, which conducted the trial, sentenced defendant Uygun to 10 years in prison for 'causing death by intentional injury,' and sentenced defendants Gürgil and Civelek, who were accused of 'concealing evidence of a crime,' to 1 month and 6 days in prison each, while ruling for the deferment of the announcement of the verdict for these defendants.

A separate indictment had also been prepared regarding Ümitcan Uygun concerning the death of Sema Esen, known as Aleyna Çakır.