23.01.2026 16:31
In the case of nurse Hazel Dırık Bağrıyanık, who left a 5-day-old newborn disabled by assaulting him 5 years ago at a university hospital in Kahramanmaraş, the court has issued an interim decision. An arrest warrant was issued for the nurse, and the trial was postponed to February 19 to address deficiencies.
The images of the inhumanity that occurred 5 years ago in the Neonatal Care Unit of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Health Application and Research Hospital and have resurfaced have caused public outrage. A new development has emerged regarding nurse Hazel Dırık Bağrıyanık, who was revealed to have assaulted a 5-day-old baby in the intensive care unit, leaving the child disabled.
UNBELIEVABLE DEFENSE FROM THE DEFENDANT'S LAWYER
Lawyers from both parties attended the hearing held at the 10th Criminal Court of First Instance in Kahramanmaraş. The lawyer of the complainant family stated that their complaint was ongoing and requested the defendant to be tried in detention.
The defendant's lawyer argued that the images reflected in the case were not new and claimed that the repeated publication of the same news in some media outlets put pressure on the judicial process and the court.
The lawyer recalled that some experts and hospital staff who were heard in previous sessions stated that the baby had health problems due to premature birth, expressing that his client was in a difficult situation due to the images reflected in the media, receiving threats on social media, and having to change addresses.
ARREST WARRANT FOR THE NURSE
An arrest warrant was issued for nurse Hazel Dırık Bağrıyanık, who is accused of assaulting 5-year-old Deniz Esin Bozoklar when she was 5 days old, causing her to remain physically and mentally disabled, during the trial of the case.
CASE PROCESS
A judicial process was initiated following the allegation that violence was inflicted on a baby receiving treatment in the Neonatal Care Unit of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Health Application and Research Hospital on May 26, 2021. After the investigation conducted by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a case was filed against nurse Bağrıyanık for the crime of "intentional injury."
THE INCIDENT
Sema Bozoklar gave birth to her daughter Deniz Esin at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Health Application and Research Hospital on May 21, 2021. The baby was placed in an incubator in the neonatal unit due to low birth weight. On May 31, 2021, a nurse attempted to insert an intravenous line into Deniz Esin Bozoklar and noticed that the baby was very still and had swelling in her left leg. After the nurse informed the hospital management, the baby was examined immediately, and it was determined that her leg was broken. To identify the cause, security camera footage was reviewed retrospectively. The investigation concluded that the baby had been subjected to violence by nurse Hazel Dırık Bağrıyanık when she was 5 days old on May 26, 2021.
VIOLENCE AGAINST THE BABY WAS HIDDEN FROM THE FAMILY
While the hospital management transferred Deniz Esin to a private hospital, they did not inform Sema and Abdullah Bozoklar about the violence inflicted on their daughter by the nurse. After completing her treatment at the private hospital, Deniz Esin was discharged, and her parents were informed that their child had both physical disabilities and cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The Bozoklar couple returned home with their daughter, unaware of the violence she had experienced. Following an internal administrative investigation, the hospital management severed ties with nurse Hazel Dırık B. The Kahramanmaraş Provincial Administrative Board also decided to prosecute Hazel Dırık B.
THE TRUTH WAS LEARNED 3 YEARS LATER THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT MESSAGE
Three years after the incident, in June 2024, a case was filed against nurse Hazel Dırık B. at the 10th Criminal Court of First Instance in Kahramanmaraş for "intentional injury," with a request for up to 3 years in prison. A message regarding the court date was also sent to the Bozoklar couple via e-Government. The family, who did not understand the message, was shocked to learn through their lawyer Sait Bolat that nurse Hazel Dırık B. had inflicted violence on their daughter Deniz Esin when she was 5 days old and that their daughter was disabled not by birth but as a result of violence.
14-MINUTE BLOOD DRAW
While the trial was ongoing, security camera footage of the violence Hazel Dırık B. inflicted on Deniz Esin Bozoklar emerged. The footage included in the case file shows that it took 14 minutes for Hazel Dırık B. to draw blood. After taking the baby out of the incubator and laying her on a stretcher, Hazel Dırık B. struck Deniz Esin on the head while trying to draw blood, causing the crying baby to become still. It was later observed that the baby could not move her left leg. The footage also showed Hazel Dırık B. realizing the situation and checking the baby's leg.