21.04.2026 17:20
The statement procedures of former Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, who was detained in the investigation regarding Gülistan Doku, who has been missing since 2020, have been completed at the prosecutor's office. Sonel has been referred to the peace criminal court with a request for his arrest.
In Tunceli, the former governor Tuncay Sonel, who was detained as part of the investigation regarding the missing university student Gülistan Doku since January 5, 2020, has been referred to the court. The prosecution requested his arrest.
PROSECUTION REQUESTED THE ARREST OF TUNCAY SONEL The procedures of Sonel, who was detained as part of the investigation conducted by the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, have been completed at the police station. After undergoing a health check at Erzurum City Hospital, Sonel was brought to the courthouse under heavy security measures. After giving a statement at the prosecutor's office, Sonel was later referred to the peace criminal court with a request for arrest.
SONEL: I AM THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE, I WILL NOT ANSWER AT THE POLICE STATION According to the news from Merve Tokaz of CNN Türk; Sonel, who stayed at the police station for 3 days, did not give his statement and said, "I am the governor of the state, I will not answer at the police station. I am exercising my right to remain silent."
The investigation regarding Tuncay Sonel, who served in Tunceli between June 13, 2017, and June 9, 2020, is being conducted by the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in accordance with the relevant legislation.
HE HAD BEEN SUSPENDED In a letter sent from the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that there was "sufficient suspicion that Sonel committed the crime of destroying, concealing, or altering evidence." Regarding the disappearance of Gülistan Doku, Sonel, who was investigated upon the instruction of Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, had been suspended.
Sonel had served in Tunceli between June 13, 2017, and June 9, 2020, and was detained in Elazığ on April 17.
11 SUSPECTS HAD BEEN ARRESTED The family of university student Gülistan Doku (21), who has been missing since January 5, 2020, could not get any news from her and came from their hometown Diyarbakır to Tunceli, filing a missing person report at the police on January 6, 2020, but no results were obtained from the search efforts initiated.
Based on new information obtained, the investigation conducted by the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding "intentional killing," "sexual assault," "concealment-destruction of evidence," "illegally accessing a computer system to destroy-alter data," "deprivation of liberty," "failure to report a crime," and "aiding a criminal" led to the detention of 15 suspects, including the then-governor of Tunceli, Tuncay Sonel.
Among the suspects, Tuncay Sonel's son Mustafa Türkay Sonel, former police officer Gökhan Ertok, who is alleged to have deleted data from Doku's SIM card, former Tunceli State Hospital Chief Physician Çağdaş Özdemir, former Tunceli Special Administration employee Erdoğan Elaldı, Celal Altaş, Nurşen Arıkan, Ferhat Hanedan Güven, Doku's boyfriend Zeinal Abakarov, her mother Cemile Yücer, and her stepfather Engin Yücer, who is a former police officer, along with Şükrü Eroğlu, who was Sonel's protection officer at that time, were arrested. Uğurcan A. and Savaş G. and Süleyman Ö., who were responsible for the security cameras of Munzur University, were released under judicial control with a travel ban imposed on them.