07.06.2026 21:10
A by-election was held in Tavşantepe Neighborhood after the Supreme Court upheld the prison sentence of former village headman Salim Güran, the uncle tried in the Narin Güran murder case in Diyarbakır. Murat Kaya, the first deputy who temporarily assumed the role during Salim Güran's detention and ran as the sole candidate in the election conducted under heavy security measures, became the new neighborhood headman by receiving all of the votes cast.
Turkey had recognized the rural neighborhood of Tavşantepe, affiliated with the central Bağlar district of Diyarbakır, as the village where Narin Güran was killed, whose lifeless body was reached 19 days later.
PRISON SENTENCE FINALIZED, BY-ELECTION HELD
The aggravated life imprisonment sentence given to the former headman Salim Güran, who was tried for the murder of Narin Güran on the charge of 'intentional killing of a child through participation,' was upheld by the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation. After the completion of the legal process and the removal of Güran from his headman position, a by-election was decided to be held in the neighborhood.
RECEIVED ALL VOTES
In the neighborhood with 234 voters, Murat Kaya, the first member temporarily appointed during Salim Güran's detention, applied as the only candidate for the headman position.
The voting process, which started at 08:00 at the ballot boxes set up at Tavşantepe Primary School, ended at 17:00. It was observed that gendarmerie teams took security measures in the neighborhood. Kaya, who received all 109 votes cast in the election, was elected headman.
ELECTIONS ALSO HELD IN 11 NEIGHBORHOODS
Meanwhile, in the districts of Diyarbakır, voters went to the polls for headman elections in the neighborhoods of Ekince in central Bağlar, Kumrucak and Karaçalı in central Sur, Aluç in Bismil, Dallıdağ in Ergani, Bahçe in Hazro, Meşeler in Eğil, Serenköy in Hani, Çakıltaşı in Silvan, Güzel in Çermik, and Keleşevleri in Çüngüş.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Following Narin Güran's disappearance, an investigation was launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. On September 2, 2024, Salim Güran, the uncle and headman of Tavşantepe Neighborhood, was arrested and subsequently removed from his headman position due to his detention by a decision of the Bağlar District Governorate's District Administrative Board, and a first member was temporarily appointed in his place.