The unresolved murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır (Amed), Turkey, is drawing parallels to the Susurluk scandal, with allegations emerging of a state cover-up involving paramilitary groups and political alliances. Many in the Kurdish community argue that the lack of transparency and delayed investigation indicate a deliberate attempt to conceal connections between the government, criminal entities and political groups such as Hüda-Par.
On Monday, Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu, speaking on Tele1, sharply criticised the Turkish government for its handling of the case, which remains unsolved 27 days after Narin’s body was found. “If an organisation were involved, the case would have been solved much more easily,” Tanrıkulu said, questioning why the investigation had failed to produce results despite multiple detentions and ongoing inquiries. He accused the authorities of attempting to manipulate the investigation and conceal evidence, suggesting an “incredible level of organisation” behind the scenes to obstruct justice.
Tanrıkulu highlighted that during the 19 days before Narin’s body was discovered, there was a coordinated effort to mislead investigators and obscure the truth, including the creation of false leads to divert search teams. “Who could have such an idea?” he asked, pointing to the possibility of state involvement or influence from political entities. The family at the centre of the case is allegedly linked to Hüda-Par, a party with suspected connections to Turkish Hizbullah (unrelated to the Lebanese Hesbollah), a paramilitary group reportedly established by the Turkish state in the 1990s to combat Kurdish insurgents.
An opinion piece by Ali Sinemilli published on Monday by Yeni Yaşam daily argued that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Party (MHP) government is deliberately delaying the investigation to protect its political allies. The author noted the silence of the entire village where Narin was murdered, suggesting that a “dark alliance” is preventing witnesses from coming forward. “It is clear that the state seeks to use Hüda-Par as an alternative to traditional Kurdish political movements,” Sinemilli wrote, drawing attention to the broader implications of the case for Kurdish communities in Turkey.
The case of Narin Güran, whose body was reportedly placed in a sack and submerged in water to prevent discovery, has evoked comparisons to the Susurluk scandal, which exposed deep ties between the Turkish state, organised crime and paramilitary forces in the 1990s. As Kurdish communities and opposition figures continue to demand accountability, the calls for a transparent investigation into Narin’s murder are growing louder.
