Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel expressed his solidarity with Emine Şenyaşar in a phone call on Thursday 5 September.
Saying that he will soon visit Şenyaşar in the Turkish Parliament, where she is continuing her justice vigil, he also invited her to attend the CHP’s “Justice Meeting” on 9 September, during the party’s ongoing congress between 4-9 September.
Emine Şenyaşar, who lost three family members in a brutal 2018 attack allegedly carried out by bodyguards and relatives of former Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy İbrahim Halil Yıldız, intensified her fight for justice in August by taking her protest to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Before moving their protest to Parliament, the Şenyaşar family had already staged a lengthy demonstration outside the Ministry of Justice in Ankara. They called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killings, which left their family devastated. Despite initial promises from the Ministry to pursue justice, no tangible action has been taken, leading the family to continue their pursuit of accountability at a higher level.
The background
On 14 June 2018, during a pre-election visit by the ruling AKP MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız to a shop in Suruç, Urfa, owned by the Şenyaşar family, a dispute erupted. Esved Şenyaşar and his sons were attacked at their shop, where one son, Celal, was killed. The violence spilled over to Suruç State Hospital where further assaults occurred. At the hospital, Esved and his son Adil were killed by individuals reportedly related to the AKP MP and their associates. This incident led to separate trials for the shop and hospital events.
The case has been marred by allegations of evidence tampering, as the hospital’s security footage crucial for the investigation was stolen. Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit have persistently sought justice, staging protests and facing a complex legal battle that remains unresolved.
