16th hearing of the Suruç Massacre case where 33 young people were killed with an ISIS suicide bomber on July 20, 2015 has been held at the 5th High Criminal Court in Urfa Courthouse. Victims' attorneys Sezin Uçar, Serdil Izol, lawyers affiliated to Urfa and Izmir bar associations and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ömer Öcalan attended the hearing. During the hearing, it was seen that the court board had changed.

 

Yakup Şahin, the only detained defendant in the case, attended the hearing through the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from the Urfa T Type Closed Prison

 

NON PROSECUTION DECISION FOR THE IMAM

 

A decision of non prosecution was given for İmam Abdullah Ömer Aslan on grounds that he doesn't have a connection with the incident on HTS records and he didn't speak to ISIS members on the phone.

 

The victim's attorney Serdil Izol, who spoke first in the hearing, reacted to the decision of non-prosecution against the imam Abdullah Ömer Aslan and stated that the investigation was carried out only on HTS records and therefore the investigation carried out lacked seriousness. Izol said, “Even the statement of the person was not used. "We do not accept the non-prosecution of a person for whom a criminal complaint has been made, even without taking a statement."

 

REQUEST TO CALL DAVUTOĞLU AS A WITNESS

 

Lawyer Sezin Uçar said that the only material truth in the case that has been going on for 5 years is that the imam Abdullah Ömer Aslan was heard and the court filed a criminal complaint. Uçar asked the court to appeal against the decision of non-prosecution. Uçar recalled the statements made by the then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and demanded that he be heard.

 

REQUESTS REJECTED

 

After the break, the court rejected the request for Davutoğlu to be heard, and Yakup Şahin to be brought to the courtroom. The court board decided that the next hearing will be held in Urfa T Type Closed Prison and adjourned the hearing to 9 February 2021.