In his first public statement about the alleged suicide of an Uzbek maid in his house last month, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Şirin Ünal has claimed there are efforts to defame him over the incident because of his work as an AKP deputy and as a former soldier, the T24 news website reported.
Twenty-three year-old Nadira Kadirova, who used to look after Ünal’s bedridden wife, died under suspicious circumstances in his Ankara house on Sept. 23. Kadirova allegedly committed suicide by using a gun registered to Ünal.
“Some circles who are disturbed and unsettled about my work as a member of the military in the past and a member of parliament now have used this incident as an opportunity to smear me and my family,” Ünal said.
Kadirova’s body was immediately repatriated to Uzbekistan following an autopsy. His family members and others who saw her body said there were two bullet wounds near her heart. The woman’s internal organs were reportedly removed by the medical examiner, making another autopsy in Uzbekistan impossible.
Ünal claimed Kadirova was one of two assistants taking care of his wife and that she recently showed signs of psychological problems.
“I employed another maid when I noticed that she began to show signs of psychological problems in the past several months. Before we could fire her, she was gone,” said Ünal.
The AKP deputy claimed that he and his daughter had tried to force the door of the room where Kadirova allegedly committed suicide when they heard the gunshots but were unable to open it.
“My shoulders still hurt,” he said, adding that the police, an ambulance and fire brigade arrived five minutes after the incident.
“Three or four police officers broke the door down. She [Kadirova] was immediately put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital,” he noted.
According to the Turkish media, Kadirova told Leyla Niyazova, a friend of hers, that “some shameful things” had happened in the house and that her brother was surprised by the news because he thought there was nothing wrong with his sister.
Ünal also said he and his family members all gave depositions to the police and prosecutors as to what had happened on the night of Kadirova’s death.
In the meantime, several opposition party deputies have submitted parliamentary questions to the Turkish Parliament Speaker’s Office, demanding from the Justice Ministry a thorough and transparent investigation to avoid a possible cover-up.
Earlier this week, Kadirova’s brother Muhammet Ali Kadirova sent a video to the Birgün daily from Uzbekistan in which he said there are suspicions related to his sister’s death, begging people to not allow the incident to be covered up.
“The entire family is devastated. My mother could die at any moment due to the great pain she feels. She is in very poor condition and has to take medication all the time,” he said.