A Turkish court has handed down aggravated life sentences to five defendants, including the hitman, for their role in the 2022 assassination of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş, without addressing any political connections to the murder, the ANKA news agency reported on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Ateş was fatally shot in the capital city of Ankara on December 30, 2022. His murder in broad daylight sent shockwaves across the country, sparking widespread controversy due to his role as the former head of the ultranationalist Grey Wolves, the paramilitary wing of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The case has been marked by allegations of political interference by MHP figures who have been accused of orchestrating the murder.
The murder trial began in July in Ankara with the indictment of 22 people.
The Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court on Wednesday concluded the trial, sentencing hitman Eray Özyağcı and his accomplices Vedat Balkaya and Suat Kurt, in addition to defendant Doğukan Çep, to aggravated life imprisonment on charges of “premeditated murder,” and former Grey Wolves executive Tolgahan Demirbaş for “incitement to premeditated murder.”
Özyağcı and Balkaya were also sentenced to 13 years in prison each for the “attempted murder” of Ateş’s relative and bodyguard, Selman Bozkurt, who was injured at the crime scene.
Mustafa Uzunlar, the owner of the van allegedly used to bring Özyağcı from İstanbul to Ankara and one of the suspects detained in connection with the murder, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for “premeditated murder.”
Defendants Murat Can Çolak and Aşkın Mert Gelenbey, special forces police officers who brought Özyağcı to Ankara, along with Emre Yüksel, the private secretary to the current Grey Wolves president, Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım, were each sentenced to 18 years in prison.
While the court ruled for the continued incarceration of police chief Mustafa Ensar Aykal, Serdar Öktem, affiliated with the MHP, and Çağlar Zorlu, a former member of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), were released. Öktem was placed under judicial supervision.
The court also acquitted five defendants, while a total of 11 defendants were sentenced to prison.
Ayşe Ateş, the widow of the slain leader who has been a vocal critic of the investigation, accusing MHP leadership of obstructing justice, told reporters following the announcement of the ruling that it was “foot soldiers” who were prosecuted in the trial, referring to the court’s failure to address any political connections to the murder.
“I’m not going anywhere. I will continue this fight for justice until every single guilty party is held accountable,” she vowed.
Referring to another ongoing investigation involving 17 people with links to the murder that is expected to turn into a prosecution, she said she expects the murder’s political connections will be addressed at the other trial.
Ayşe Ateş has faced legal action, including a criminal complaint filed by MHP officials after she accused them of involvement in her husband’s assassination.
Lawyers for the Ateş family have also criticized the indictment for not addressing the alleged masterminds or the motive behind the assassination, focusing instead on those directly involved in the execution of the crime.
Meanwhile, a man assaulted Selma Ateş, the late leader’s sister, during a break in the hearing as tensions flared between the victim’s family and relatives of the defendants. The attacker was immediately detained by security forces.
Sinan Ateş'in ablası Selma Ateş: Ben ve eşim otururken biri arkadan gelip saldırdı. Saldırıya uğrayacağımı biliyordum. Bunun sinyallerini verdiler.
— Tele1 TV (@tele1comtr) October 2, 2024
Ayşe Ateş took to social media following the assault, condemning what she described as an escalating climate of intimidation and violence fueled by MHP chairman Devlet Bahçeli.
The attack comes a day after Bahçeli targeted Sinan Ateş’s mother, Saniye Ateş, in a fiery speech at a party group meeting, where he accused her of participating in an orchestrated campaign against the MHP.