Testimony of family of prosecutor candidate Yalman, who died by suicide, emerges: 'He would not share his problems'

In the note he left behind, Yalman had alleged that he was subjected to mobbing and threats, and that he had sought his legal rights but no action was taken.

SUICIDE NOTES FOUND

Police teams found suicide notes written to 3 different people at the bedside in the hotel room where the young prosecutor candidate Yalman, who had been missing since January 10, died by suicide, along with prescription drugs used in the treatment of mental and nervous disorders.

FAMILY'S TESTIMONY EMERGES

The Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched a wide-ranging investigation following the suicide of prosecutor candidate Mithat Can Yalman. After examining the letters he left for 3 different people, the prosecutor's office took the statements of Yalman's mother Aysel, father Müslüm, and his sister Tuğçe Yalman, who is a judge candidate.

"TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, DON'T UPSET YOURSELF"

According to the report by Ekran Haber, Tuğçe Yalman stated that her brother Mithat called her on the day of the incident and said in her testimony, “Mithat Can Yalman is my brother. He has been a trainee prosecutor at the Adana Courthouse for about 1 year. On the day of the incident, around 16:00, my brother called me, asked how I was, and said that he was going to Ankara regarding a minor incident he experienced at the courthouse, that he would meet with someone there to resolve the issue, and that they would make peace. Afterwards, he told me he loved me and closed the phone by saying, ‘Take care of yourself, don't upset yourself.’ Later in the evening, my mother told me that my brother had made a post on Twitter. Reading that post, I thought my brother might commit suicide and filed a missing person report at the Police Station. Around 23:00 in the evening, my husband Erkan Gürbaz told me that my brother had committed suicide at the hotel and had passed away. I do not know if my brother had any weapons, and I do not know why he did such a thing,” she said.

LEARNED OF THE SUICIDE NEWS FROM HER SON-IN-LAW

Mother Aysel Yalman, who said her son had problems but did not share them with anyone, stated the following:

"My son Mithat Can Yalman had been a trainee prosecutor at the Adana Courthouse for 1 year. He was going to be a prosecutor in 1 year. My son Mithat Can lives with us. On the day of the incident, I got up at 06:30 to go to work, and Mithat Can was also going to go to Ankara for prosecutor training. He was going to rent a house there; we said goodbye because my son was going on a journey, and then I went to school to work. We spoke by phone at noon; he said he would set off by bus at 13:30. We spoke from time to time in the afternoon; he said he was on the bus, sleeping, and that he would 'call' after getting off. In the next call, he said his battery was running low, 'don't worry if you can't reach me, I'll call you when I plug it in to charge.' This conversation took place around 17:30; afterwards, around 19:00 in the evening, my son's friends called me and said, 'Auntie, we can't reach Mithat Can, where is he?' I told them he went to Ankara and his phone battery died; during this time, a few more friends continued to call.

In fact, his friends said that Mithat Can had shared something on Twitter and sent it via the WhatsApp application; when I looked at my phone, I saw that my son had made posts in a way that he could commit suicide, and we immediately went to the Fatih Police Station and filed a missing person report. We continued to look for my son; his phone was still off. On the same day, around 23:00, the police called me and said that my son had no entry record in Ankara. Afterwards, my son-in-law Erkan Gürbaz called me on the phone and said that my son had committed suicide at the hotel. As far as I know, my son does not have any licensed or unlicensed pistols. I do not know why he did such a thing. He would not share his own problems with us. This is all I know about the subject. I am not a complainant or plaintiff against anyone.”

"HE SAID GOODBYE AND LEFT"

Father Müslüm Yalman said, "Mithat Can Yalman is my son. He has been a trainee prosecutor at the Adana Courthouse for about 1 year. On the day of the incident, around 11:30, while I was sleeping in my residence, my son Mithat Can entered the room and said, 'Father, I am going to Ankara, my mother knows why I am going, please forgive me,' and he said goodbye and left. When I called my son around 15:00, he said, 'Father, I am on the bus, I am sleeping, do not disturb me, I will call you when I get off,' and afterwards my son had told his mother that his phone battery was low. For this reason, we could not reach him when we called again. Afterwards, around 19:00, my son's friends called my wife and said that Mithat Can had shared something on Twitter. Later, my son-in-law said he had committed suicide. I am not a complainant against anyone,” he said.