03.08.2026 13:29
Selahattin Demirtaş, who is detained in Edirne Prison, made assessments regarding the case after meeting with Narin Güran's father, Arif Güran, with special permission from the Ministry of Justice. Demirtaş argued that the only name whose crime was proven with concrete evidence in the file was Nevzat Bahtiyar, while criticizing the conviction decisions against the other defendants.
Selahattin Demirtaş, who is detained in Edirne Prison, made striking assessments regarding the case after meeting with Narin Güran's father, Arif Güran.
Before this meeting, which was held with the special permission of the Ministry of Justice, Demirtaş stated that he had obtained the case file through his lawyers and examined it comprehensively. Following the meeting, he made noteworthy evaluations regarding the judicial process and the imposed prison sentences.
"THE ONLY NAME PROVEN WITH CONCRETE EVIDENCE IS NEVZAT BAHTIYAR"
Evaluating the evidence in the case file from his own legal perspective, Demirtaş stated that the only person concretely proven to have committed a crime related to the murder was Nevzat Bahtiyar. He described the conviction of Narin's mother, Yüksel Güran, and her uncle, Salim Güran, with aggravated life imprisonment as "a complete legal disaster." Demirtaş, noting that the existing evidence in the file was insufficient for these heavy convictions, emphasized that the most fundamental rule of criminal law is that a conviction must be based on concrete and unequivocal evidence, not on gossip or possibilities.
DREW ATTENTION TO PUBLIC PRESSURE
Demirtaş argued that the media coverage and intense public pressure following the murder overshadowed the court's decision-making process, and drew attention to the universal legal principle of "the presumption of innocence." Stating that the participation of mother Yüksel Güran and uncle Salim Güran in the crime had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, he expressed that imposing aggravated life sentences on people whose guilt had not been proven, merely to satisfy public conscience, was incompatible with true justice. According to Demirtaş, the possibility that the actual perpetrators who killed Narin Güran are still at large is a situation that would wound the public conscience much more deeply.
CALL TO THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS
Arguing that the sentences must absolutely be overturned during the appeals and Supreme Court of Appeals reviews, Demirtaş underlined that the current situation is insufficient for conviction unless new evidence or a confession emerges in the file. He called on all legal institutions, especially the Diyarbakır Bar Association, to carry out efforts to ensure justice. He also stated that the Ministry of Justice should examine the file in detail and apply to the Supreme Court of Appeals with a request for "overturning in the interest of the law," adding that Narin's memory, her family, and the public deserve this.
THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS HAD PREVIOUSLY APPROVED THE DECISION
In the Narin Güran murder case, the Diyarbakır 8th Heavy Penal Court had sentenced mother Yüksel Güran, brother Enes Güran, and uncle Salim Güran to aggravated life imprisonment separately for intentional killing of a child as accomplices. The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals had also approved and finalized these sentences for the three defendants. However, the four-and-a-half-year sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar for destroying, hiding, or altering crime evidence was overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeals on the grounds that his act should be evaluated within the scope of aiding qualified intentional killing. Following the reversal decision, Bahtiyar was retried and sentenced to seventeen years in prison for aiding qualified intentional killing on April 16, 2026.