Rojin's sister rebels: She did not commit suicide because we know her dreams and her future

Rojin Kabaiş, a first-year student in the Child Development Department at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, who went missing after leaving her dormitory in Van on September 27, 2024, and whose lifeless body was found on the shore of the Mollakasım neighborhood on October 15, 2024, was commemorated with a march held in her hometown of Diyarbakır on the first anniversary of her suspicious death.

Making a statement at the Yeniköy Cemetery where the march ended, Rojin's sister Elif Kabaiş addressed the crowd, saying, “My request from all of you is, please do not be emotional while I am speaking. Because we need to stand strong. We need to fight.”

Stating that a year has passed since Rojin's death, Kabaiş said, “Today marks exactly one year. One year ago, we laid my sister to rest. They took her youth, her dreams, and her future from us. Since that day, the fire inside us has not gone out. It has grown bigger every day. The name of this fire is injustice. Do you know what they said while my father was on the stretcher inside the ambulance? The Governor of Van and the university rector entered the ambulance and said, 'Your daughter committed suicide, Mr. Nizamettin.' And this was while she was right there in front of my father's eyes. Which conscience, which humanity can accept hearing such a sentence? The rector entered the autopsy room. You are an educator, you are the head of a university. What business do you have in the autopsy room? By what authority did you enter, what were you trying to cover up? Provide the answers to these questions,” she stated.

"WHY WAS THE CRITICAL DOCUMENT HIDDEN FROM THE FAMILY FOR MONTHS?"

Evaluating the Forensic Medicine Institute report prepared as part of the investigation into Rojin Kabaiş's death, Elif Kabaiş noted the following:

“I am asking the Forensic Medicine Institute. Why was the report in Rojin's file hidden for 9 months? Who and what was this report hidden to protect? Why was a critical document regarding the death of a young girl hidden from the public and the family for months? Who benefited from this delay, this concealment? The report from Forensic Medicine was a painful situation for our family and our people. However, from a legal perspective, the file was expanded upon the Ministry's instruction. If there is negligence, a crime, a cover-up, if there is any misdirection or a cover-up, let it all be brought to light. Those who entered the autopsy room, those who silenced the cameras, those who hid the report, those who called it suicide from the first day, and those who tried to close the file must give us answers.”

"THEY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BEFORE JUSTICE"

“Rojin did not commit suicide. I am stating this. Because we know that girl's life, her hopes, her dreams, and her future,” said sister Kabaiş, continuing:

“Because I am her sister. Because she was my roommate. Whoever destroyed that young body and those dreams will be held accountable before justice. I am calling out to all the necessary authorities from here. We have been waiting for a year, we have been patient for a year, but enough is enough. Whoever had negligence, a mistake, or silence in Roji's death must be exposed. From the rector who entered the autopsy room to the governor who called it suicide from the first day, and the forensic medicine institute that hid the report for 9 months, everyone must be questioned. Justice for Rojin will not obscure anyone. We have not remained silent, and we will not remain silent. Those who hide the truth, those who hide the truth and ignore it are also accomplices to this crime. We will continue to fight until justice for Rojin is served.”

"WE HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FOR A YEAR"

Later taking the floor, Rojin's aunt Özlem Kaan Arslan said, “I am calling out to those in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Demand justice for Rojin and raise your voices. Rojin is your daughter too. We have been suffering as a family for a year. Help us. By what right do the Governor of Van, the Rector of Yüzüncü Yıl University, and the Van Provincial Police Chief go to Nizamettin Kabaiş and tell him his daughter committed suicide? They must be held accountable to us. They are the very murderers of Rojin,” she said.

News Source: 12punto