New investigation in the case of Sinem Çiçek, who was murdered in İzmir: Drug suspicion...

Aslıhan Sinem Çiçek, who left her home in 2022 to go to a job interview in İzmir, was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, but could not be saved despite all interventions. In the case opened after the incident, it was revealed that Çiçek had been given drugs, and a new development has occurred in the ongoing trial at the İzmir 11th High Criminal Court.

In line with witness testimonies, the court notified the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to open a new investigation against the defendants Cem A. and Burak Kaya for the crime of 'causing death'. Despite a previous decision of non-prosecution on this matter, the prosecutor's office has reopened the investigation in light of new evidence.

The Çiçek family's lawyer, Kubilay Büber, stated that a lawsuit had been filed against the defendants in the file for the crimes of sexual assault and attempted robbery.

Büber said, "We have been fighting for a year and a half to investigate the cause of Sinem's death. The prosecutor's office had previously issued a decision of non-prosecution on this matter; we appealed it, but it was rejected. As a last resort, we applied to the Ministry of Justice and received a positive response. In light of the current evidence, an investigation has been launched on the grounds that the defendants caused her to use a high dose of drugs. This is a development we have been waiting for for a long time."

Lawyer Büber emphasized that Sinem Çiçek lost her life due to high-dose drug use, stating, "It is stated that Sinem's body was sedated by being given a high dose of drugs and that the defendant had sexual intercourse during this time. Although the defendant claims they had intercourse with her consent, this does not explain the cause of death. People who are accustomed to using drugs know their own doses well. For this reason, we think that Sinem may have been given drugs via intravenous injection."

Büber expressed that there were some deficiencies in the investigation conducted after the incident, saying, "During the incident, we asked the prosecutor to search for blood stains in the house with luminol. There were cut marks on this girl's hands, and we requested that DNA analysis be performed on the blood samples.

''However, this request of ours was forwarded to the homicide bureau instead of the correct unit. When the homicide bureau went to the house 20 days later, they determined that the house had been emptied. During this process, the defendants had moved out of the house. The investigation should have been conducted correctly, but these deficiencies changed the course of the case."

Following the emergence of new evidence, the prosecutor's office decided to try the defendants Cem A. and Burak Kaya separately.

Lawyer Büber stated that this situation was a long-awaited development, saying, "We believe that justice will finally be served. We want all the elements that caused Sinem Çiçek's death to be investigated in detail."

Looking at the history of the case, it is known that the cause of Çiçek's death was high-dose drug use. However, how the drugs were given to Çiçek and the details of the incident have not yet been fully clarified.

Büber is particularly focusing on the possibility that the drugs may have been administered intravenously. The court, evaluating these possibilities, decided to launch a new investigation against the defendants.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Aslıhan Sinem Çiçek, who lived in the Bayraklı district, went to an address in the Bornova district for a job interview on July 26, 2022. Her father, Serdar Çiçek, who could not reach Çiçek when she did not return home, filed a missing person report with the police.

In the investigation conducted, it was determined that Çiçek was at Ege University Hospital. Çiçek, whose condition was critical, lost her life in the hospital a day later. Burak Kaya was detained in the investigation carried out regarding Çiçek's death. Kaya, who was found with Çiçek's phone, was arrested by the Criminal Court of Peace for the crime of 'robbery' at the courthouse where he was referred after his procedures at the police station.

In the research conducted regarding the incident, it was determined that Çiçek last got into a white light commercial vehicle. Examining the points the vehicle passed through, the police reached Cem A. The teams, who carried out an operation at the determined address, detained the suspect.

Cem A., who was referred to the courthouse on charges of 'qualified sexual assault' after his procedures at the police station, was released on judicial control conditions. An electronic shackle was attached to Cem A.'s leg, and he was banned from leaving his residence and banned from traveling abroad.

Diyar A., the cousin of Cem A., who was detained within the scope of the investigation, was also released by the court on judicial control conditions. In the Forensic Medicine report requested for Burak Kaya, drugs were detected in his blood and urine. Kaya was released on October 27 with a travel ban at the request of the prosecutor, but he later entered prison after being convicted of another crime.

The indictment prepared after the investigation conducted regarding the incident was accepted by the İzmir 11th High Criminal Court.

In the indictment, a prison sentence of up to 19 years was requested for the suspect Cem A. for 'Qualified sexual assault' and 'Deprivation of liberty', and up to 15 years for Burak Kaya for 'Robbery'.

It was stated that there was no room for prosecution for the crime of 'killing with possible intent'. In the last hearing, the court requested that the defendants be re-investigated for the crime of "causing death".