Lawmakers from Turkey’s main opposition party visited members of the Şenyaşar family, who have been demanding justice for three of their relatives who were murdered by people connected to a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
According to the Mezopotamya news agency Ali Şeker and Orhan Sarıbal of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) visited the family in Şanlıurfa province and said they would keep following the case. “Everyone needs justice,” the lawmakers said.
Emine Şenyaşar and her son began a sit-in in March and have been continuing their protest in front of a courthouse for 227 days, demanding a fair trial and an effective investigation of the incident.
Devletin varlık gerekçesi vatandaşına adilce davranmaktır.
Devletin hastanesinde katliam yapanın yeri meclis değildir.
Meclis Araştırması Komisyonu kurulsun.
Olay bütün detaylarıyla araştırılsın… pic.twitter.com/L0j5MEn8eH— #ŞenyaşarAilesineAdalet (@senyasarailesi) October 20, 2021
Esvet Şenyaşar and two of his sons, Adil and Celal, were brutally murdered on June 14, 2018 in Şanlıurfa province.
They were initially attacked in their store and taken to a hospital. However, they were followed by the family of AKP deputy İbrahim Halil Yıldız to the hospital, where they were ultimately murdered. Eight more people were injured during clashes between the two groups. An older brother of Yıldız was also killed.
According to Ferit Şenyaşar, bullets from 17 different guns were retrieved from the body of one of his brothers.
Two Şenyaşar brothers, Ferit and Fadıl, who were injured but survived, were later detained, and Fadıl Şenyaşar was arrested. However, none of Yıldız’s relatives or his bodyguards were detained despite the fact that three people had died.
Only 15 months later, on September 18, 2020, was Yıldız’s older brother Enver Yıldız arrested.
The Yıldız family claimed the Kurdish Şenyaşar family had links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and that they had been victims of terrorism.
Members of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) and several bar associations have lent support to the Şenyaşar family.