The first hearing in the Bahar Aksu murder case! She had been hiding in a village house for 2 years without going outside.

11.06.2025 17:59

Rüstem Elibol and three of his friends, who attempted to kidnap his ex-wife Bahar Aksu in Şişli and, after failing, shot her multiple times with a gun, appeared before the judge. When the presiding judge asked about the contradictions in their statements, Elibol exercised his right to remain silent. Bahar Aksu's mother stated, "I kept my daughter at home in a village in Edirne to protect her. For two years, I took care of my daughter without letting her go outside."

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On May 5th, Bahar Aksu (34) was attempted to be kidnapped by her ex-husband Rüstem Elibol (37) and his companions as she arrived at the hotel where she worked part-time as a kitchen assistant in Şişli, Istanbul. She was later shot multiple times and murdered by Elibol. The trial involving four defendants has begun.

During the hearing held at the Istanbul 4th High Criminal Court, the detained defendants Rüstem Elibol, Aziz Başkan, Samet Salman, and Semih Yapar were connected via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS). The mother of the deceased Bahar Aksu, Gülçin Küçüktorun, her sister Berinnur Sert, and the attorneys for the parties were present in the courtroom. Additionally, many people, including actress Nur Sürer and members of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, were also present in the audience.

"THE INCIDENT HAPPENED UNPLANNED"

Defendant Elibol stated in his defense that their purpose for coming to Istanbul was to look for a house, saying, "My friends have no fault, I came to reconcile with my wife. I met her that day; I wanted to remarry. When she said, 'Are you a man?' I got very angry. I regret it a lot; my friends have no fault, they came to hang out. The incident happened suddenly and unplanned. I loved my wife," he said.

HE USED HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT WHEN ASKED ABOUT CONTRADICTIONS IN HIS STATEMENT

The presiding judge read excerpts from Elibol's previous statements and asked if they were correct. The defendant responded with an expressionless demeanor, saying, "It's true." Upon this, the judge asked, "What is true? You say everything is true, which one is true?" The defendant then used his right to remain silent, stating that he had nothing to say.

"I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE KIDNAPPING"

The other three defendants, Aziz Başkan, Samet Salman, and Semih Yapar, stated in their defenses that they had no connection to this incident, that they were unaware of such a situation, and that Rüstem Elibol only mentioned looking for a house.

Defendant Salman stated, "Rüstem had mentioned that he was having problems with his girlfriend. When I got into the car, I thought Rüstem would follow me, but when I turned around, I saw him shooting at the woman. I had absolutely no knowledge of the kidnapping; I thought she was his girlfriend, and just because everyone was looking at us, I reflexively said, 'Sister, get in the car,' and pointed to the car. I did not come to Istanbul to kill someone, especially a woman. I came to look for a house; I regret the incident," he said.

"I TOOK CARE OF MY DAUGHTER FOR 2 YEARS WITHOUT GOING OUTSIDE"

The complainant Gülçin Küçüktorun stated in her testimony that after her daughter Bahar Aksu experienced all kinds of violence, she went to a women's shelter, saying, "I went to get my daughter and brought her to Edirne. I kept her in a house in a village in Edirne specifically to hide her. I took care of my daughter for 2 years without her going outside. Then, for about 3 years, there was no word from Rüstem. Bahar is a coach; she said, 'I will continue coaching or go to stay with my relative in Istanbul and work in a hotel to sustain my life. How long can I keep running?' I allowed her to work; I was already working too. We were constantly talking," she stated.

During the hearing, the attorneys for Aziz Başkan, Samet Salman, and Semih Yapar argued that their clients had no connection to the murder and requested their acquittal.

THE OPINION WAS ANNOUNCED

During the hearing, the public prosecutor announced his opinion regarding the case, stating that defendant Rüstem Elibol had been following Bahar Aksu, who had escaped and was hiding from him, on social media since 2020, trying to find out where she was and learned that Aksu was working in a hotel. The opinion stated that Elibol came to Istanbul with his friends to kill his ex-wife, knowing that the other defendants were armed, and that they thought the number of people was insufficient, so they also included defendant Samet Salman.