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Critics slam court for ignoring political links in ex-Grey Wolves leader’s murder

Turkish Minute

Sinan Ateş

An Ankara court’s recent decision to hand down aggravated life sentences to five defendants in a trial concerning the murder of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş without addressing any political connections to the assassination has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and journalists.

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 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 Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court on Wednesday concluded the trial that began in July with the indictment of 22 people, 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.”

The court acquitted five defendants while releasing Serdar Öktem, affiliated with the MHP, under judicial supervision.

The court’s failure to address political connections, alleged masterminds or the motive behind the assassination — punishing only those directly involved in the crime — attracted criticism from opposition politicians and journalists.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairperson Gül Çiftçi, also a lawyer, on Wednesday said on X that the trial was the product of a system in which the evidence, the mastermind and the political dimensions of a murder can be and has been ignored and “violence can be legitimized” for the sake of the interests of the MHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“When the shadow of politics is lifted from the judiciary, justice will be served not only in the Sinan Ateş case but in all cases,” Çiftçi said.

 

Nationalist opposition İYİ (Good) Party vice chair and lawmaker Hakan Şeref Olgun also criticized the trial in a tweet for ignoring the organized network and political motives behind the murder.

He vowed to continue the fight “until the real perpetrators face justice and a safer future is secured for all children in the country, including Sinan Ateş’s.”

 

“The aggravated life sentences handed down … have not satisfied the public. Until the political figures who orchestrated and directed these dishonorable criminals are brought to justice, the murder of Sinan Ateş cannot be considered fully resolved under the law,” journalist and former CHP deputy chairman Eren Erdem said on X.

 

Journalist Alican Uludağ said following the decision that the sentence given to Demirbaş demonstrates the court’s acknowledgment of the Grey Wolves’ involvement in the murder.

“Did Tolgahan Demirbaş get involved in this matter for no reason? No,” the journalist said on X.

He added that attention is now turning to the investigation into 17 other individuals, including current Grey Wolves president Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım, whose case was separated and who is suspected of having directed Demirbaş.

 

“A half-hearted indictment led to the conviction of the shooters, but many of the suspects remain untried. Political murder is being shrouded in darkness through political bargaining,” journalist Timur Soykan said in a tweet.

 

Journalist Erk Acarer also alleged on X that the court concluded the murder was linked to the MHP, which is why it attempted to distance the party from the trial by releasing Öktem.

Hinting at Erdoğan’s influence in the case, he said, “The corrupt bargains of politics have prevailed, while justice has lost once again!”

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