14.04.2026 14:40
Halit Doku, the father of Munzur University student Gülistan Doku, who has been sought in Tunceli since January 5, 2020, said regarding the detention decisions in the investigation into his daughter, 'Justice has been served.' Mother Bedriye Doku claimed that Tuncay Sonel, the then-governor of Tunceli, directed them around the dam during the search efforts.
Upon the instruction of the Tunceli Republic Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention warrants were issued for 13 suspects, including the young girl's boyfriend Zeinal Abarakov and Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, on charges of "murder" and "obstruction of evidence" within the scope of the investigation into Gülistan Doku's disappearance since January 5, 2020.
"LET GÜLİSTAN NOT DIE, ENOUGH"
Following the development, Doku's mother and father living in Diyarbakır came to the Tunceli Courthouse. Mother Bedriye Doku, responding to journalists' questions here, said, "I thank the Honorable Minister of Justice, the honorable prosecutor, judges, prosecutors, police, and gendarmerie very, very much. Let no more women die, let no more students die, let Gülistan not die, enough."
ACCUSED THE THEN TUNCELİ GOVERNOR
Reminding of the search efforts made after Gülistan's "disappearance," Bedriye Doku claimed that the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel directed the family around the dam during the search efforts. Bedriye Doku spoke as follows:
"Wasn't it a pity for those police, those gendarmes in that snow, in that winter? Don't they have mothers, fathers? In that winter, in that snow, those people were there; isn't it a pity, a sin? In which country does this happen? For how many years did teams come, police come, gendarmerie come. Isn't God above you? In that winter, they didn't have mothers, fathers either, right? What if they go there and don't come back? Are your children the only ones? Isn't it a pity, a sin for so many people for your children? Isn't it a pity for the police, the gendarmerie? In that winter, in that snow, they go there. They come out and say, 'Aunt, your daughter is not here.' Tuncay Sonel always insisted on sending us there. What do the police know, what do the divers know? He insisted on sending us there, as if we were going to and from work. I will first go to the honorable prosecutor. Then I will come and make a speech. Okay. I know, God knows."
"JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED"
Father Doku, on the other hand, said, "Because we trusted justice, justice has been served. I thank everyone."
6 YEARS LATER, THE FILE WAS TAKEN OFF THE SHELF, THERE ARE DETENTIONS
Today, in the investigation that has been ongoing since 2020, a simultaneous operation was carried out centered in Tunceli and in Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Elazığ, and İzmir.
Among the 13 people detained is Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel.
Gülistan's boyfriend Zeynal Abarakov, the last person she met, his mother Cemile Yücer, and stepfather Engin Yücer are also among the suspects.
DETAINED INDIVIDUALS
- Zeinal Abakarov: Alanya (Gülistan's boyfriend)
- Engin Yücer: Alanya (Zeinal's stepfather, former police officer)
- Cemile Yücer: Alanya (Zeinal's mother)
- Uğurcan Açıkgöz: From Antalya Center (Close friend of Mustafa Türkay Sonel then and still, person seen in camera footage)
- Erdoğan Elaldı: Antalya Center (Person working at Tunceli Provincial Special Administration at the time)
- Mustafa Türkay Sonel: İstanbul Ataşehir (Son of Tuncay Sonel, then Tunceli Governor, currently an Inspector at the Ministry of Interior)
- Gökhan Ertok: Ankara (Dismissed former police officer, person in contact with the Governor and his bodyguard during this process)
- Savaş Gültürk: Elazığ (Staff responsible for cameras at Munzur University)
- Süleyman Önal: Tunceli (Staff responsible for cameras at Munzur University)
- Celal Altaş: Tunceli
- Nurşen Arıkan: Tunceli
- Şükrü Eroğlu: İzmir (Bodyguard of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel)
MURDER SUSPICION IS BEING EVALUATED
In the investigation conducted by the Tunceli Republic Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; within the framework of new findings, murder suspicion is being evaluated.
Additionally, allegations such as organized cover-up, obstruction of evidence, deletion of digital traces, and abuse of public influence are also under scrutiny.
Especially vehicle movements, phone signals, deleted social media data related to the day of the incident and afterwards, and suspicious connections and activities of some public officials completely changed the course of the investigation.
SONEL'S NAME APPEARS IN ANONYMOUS NOTE
One of the notable points in the file is an anonymous note left for the family's lawyer. This note mentions the name of Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel.
After the note emerged, examinations revealed that Sonel's vehicle movements on the day of the incident were inconsistent with the normal flow.
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS OF THE BOYFRIEND AND HIS CIRCLE
In the file, the activities of Gülistan's boyfriend Zeinal Abakarov are included as a separate heading. It was determined that some correspondences on Zeinal's phone had been deleted, while messages he sent via social media after Gülistan disappeared were found noteworthy.
It was seen that these messages contained expressions giving the impression that he knew something had happened to Gülistan. Moreover, it was understood that not only Zeinal but also some individuals in his circle gave contradictory statements on the night of the incident and afterwards, that some camera footage was never taken or was taken incompletely, and that attempts were made to complicate the file.
700 HOURS OF FOOTAGE SCANNED
Witness statements added to the file and 700 hours of MOBESE footage also revealed many details that were previously overlooked or covered up.
Based on HTS records, narrowed base station studies, and new technical reports, the day of the incident was re-examined minute by minute.
GÜLİSTAN DOKU INVESTIGATION
Gülistan Doku (21), a 2nd-year student in the Child Development Department at Munzur University in Tunceli, had not been heard from again after leaving the dormitory where she stayed on January 5, 2020. Doku's family had filed a missing person report with the Provincial Police Department on January 6.
After investigations, it was stated that Gülistan Doku's cell phone last gave a signal at the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct in the Uzunçayır Dam Lake.
Under the coordination and instruction of the then Governor Tuncay Sonel, work was carried out for months in the Uzunçayır Dam Lake with divers, ROW with radar device, and numerous surface teams. When no trace belonging to Doku could be found, the work was terminated.
WHERE SHE GOT OFF THE MINIBUS IS UNCLEAR
In examinations of KGYS cameras on the route, it was seen that Gülistan Doku met with her ex-boyfriend Zeynal Abarakov in the garden of a cafe next to the governor's office at noon on January 5, and then crossed the street and got on a city minibus.
In the footage entered into the file, it was not shown where Gülistan Doku came from to the front of the cafe, and where she got off after boarding the minibus could not be determined.
Additionally, it was reported that the camera belonging to Munzur University, which closely views the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct where Doku's phone signal was last detected, was broken and therefore could not be examined.
Again, a 3.5-hour unclear footage from a distant camera viewing the viaduct was sent to the National Criminal Bureau, but the images could not be clarified.
It was reflected in the records that Gülistan Doku was seen on KGYS entering the house of her ex-boyfriend Zeynal Abarakov on the night before her disappearance, but the next day, the door of the house was not visible due to the change in the camera angle. In the investigation, Z.A. was detained and released under judicial control and a travel ban.