06.04.2026 10:40
In the case of the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran, who was killed in Diyarbakır, Nevzat Bahtiyar, whose sentence was overturned, is being retried today. Tensions arose in the courtroom, and the Güran family was escorted outside by the police. Gendarmerie teams took Nevzat Bahtiyar under protection. The presiding judge requested that the Güran family be taken outside of the courthouse as well. The police forcibly removed the family from the premises.
The Supreme Court's 1st Criminal Chamber is re-evaluating the case of the detained defendant Nevzat Bahtiyar, following its annulment of the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence for the crime of "destroying, concealing, or altering evidence" related to the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır, in order to assess it under the scope of "aiding in qualified intentional murder."
TENSION IN THE COURTROOM
During the hearing that began with identity verification, Bahtiyar stated that he had nothing to say in his defense. He then recounted the events of the day of the incident. The court noted that Bahtiyar had made contradictory statements in his testimony.
Family members of Güran intervened in Bahtiyar's defense, leading to a scuffle. Following this, at the request of the court panel, the Güran family members were removed from the courtroom and later from the courthouse. Narin Güran's father, Arif Güran, reacted by saying, "This man (referring to Bahtiyar) cannot speak so easily about my daughter in pieces. This is unacceptable."
The hearing continues with defenses.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The lifeless body of Narin Güran, who went missing in the rural Tavşantepe neighborhood of the Bağlar district on August 21, 2024, was found on September 8, on the 19th day of the search efforts, in a sack in a stream bed, covered and concealed with stones. In the investigation regarding Narin's death, her uncle Salim Güran, mother Yüksel Güran, brother Enes Güran, and neighbors identified from security camera footage, who were determined to have transported Narin's lifeless body to the stream area in a red vehicle, were charged at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court.
Uncle Salim Güran, mother Yüksel Güran, and brother Enes Güran, along with neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar, were requested to receive aggravated life imprisonment for "intentional murder of a child in complicity." After being detained, Nevzat Bahtiyar claimed in his statement that he did not kill Narin, but only transported and concealed her lifeless body. In the second hearing of the case held on December 28, 2024, the court sentenced Salim, Yüksel, and Enes Güran to aggravated life imprisonment for "intentional murder of a child in complicity," while Nevzat Bahtiyar received a 4.5-year prison sentence for "destroying, concealing, or altering evidence."
The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeals found the ruling of the first-instance court regarding the defendants to be lawful. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Court requested the approval of the aggravated life sentences given to mother Yüksel, brother Enes, and uncle Salim Güran, as well as the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar in the Narin Güran murder case.
The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court upheld the aggravated life imprisonment sentences for detained defendants mother Yüksel, brother Enes, and uncle Salim Güran, while it annulled the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar in order to assess it under the scope of "aiding in qualified intentional murder." Following the annulment of the sentence against Bahtiyar by the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, the file was sent to the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court, which prepared a report regarding Bahtiyar's detention.
In the report, the court stated that there were concrete evidence indicating strong suspicion of a crime, the duration of detention, the lower and upper limits of the penalty prescribed by law for the crime alleged in the indictment, and that due to the nature of the act being among the catalog crimes listed in Article 100/3 of the Criminal Procedure Code, judicial control measures would be insufficient, and the detention measure was proportionate. The court decided to continue Bahtiyar's detention. The court also decided to write to the prison where defendant Bahtiyar is held to ensure his presence at the hearing, which was scheduled for April 6.