06.04.2026 15:31
In the case regarding the murder of Narin Güran, aggravated life imprisonment was requested for Nevzat Bahtiyar, whose 4 years and 6 months prison sentence was overturned by the Court of Cassation.
The Supreme Court's 1st Criminal Chamber has overturned the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar for the crime of "destroying, concealing, or altering evidence" related to the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran in Diyarbakır, in order to evaluate it within the scope of "aiding qualified intentional murder." Following this decision, the detained defendant Nevzat Bahtiyar is being retried.
HE WAS BROUGHT TO THE COURTROOM The retrial of Nevzat Bahtiyar began at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court in accordance with the Supreme Court's ruling. Bahtiyar, who is detained at the Adana Suluca No. 1 High Security Penal Institution, was brought to the courtroom. Bahtiyar's lawyers Adnan Ataş and Ali Eryılmaz, the Güran family and their lawyers, as well as lawyers from the Ministry of Family and Social Services attended the hearing.
"IF I HAD DONE WHAT SALIM SAID, THE BODY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FOUND" The statement of Nevzat Bahtiyar, who is being retried, was taken. In response to the question from the presiding judge, 'Do you have an objection to the overturning decision?', Nevzat Bahtiyar answered, 'No.' In his statement about the day of the incident, Nevzat Bahtiyar said, "I was at work that day. I went to my house in Çarıklı at 06:30 in the morning. After that, I came home. I don't remember what time it was, but it was noon. I came home, my wife said, 'We don't have water.' It was around 15:00. After that, I called Salim Güran, he said, 'Okay, I will call the authorities for the water.' Then Salim called me from 50-70 meters away. I went up towards Arif's house. I reached the top. After that, I went and saw the body on the ground. When I entered Arif's house, I saw Narin's body on the left side at the entrance. Salim told me, 'You will take the body.' I refused. After that, he pulled out a gun and threatened me and my son. Because he said, 'I will kill your son first, then you,' I had no choice but to take the body. We put the body in a blanket together. He wrapped the body with the blanket all the way to the door, to the balcony. Then I took the body to the barn alone. I put it in a bag. After putting it in the car, I saw Yüksel (Narin's mother) crying in front of her house. Before I got in the car, after Salim took the blanket from me, he said, 'Take this body, cut it into pieces, don't let anyone see it.' I revealed the body. If I had done what Salim said, this body would not have been found. I did a good deed. When I went home, I didn't see anyone. I only saw Salim at home. But after taking the body, I saw Yüksel crying above our house," he said.
THE GÜRAN FAMILY WAS REMOVED FROM THE COURTROOM In response to the question 'Which of your statements is true?', Bahtiyar said, "In my first statement, I said that because my family was not under protection. But now my family is under protection. The statement I am giving now is true. Salim Güran set a trap for me. They pulled me up. I took the body because I had no choice, I regret it. When I went to take the body, the girl was dead. If I had done what Salim said, I would have cut it into pieces," he said.
After these statements, Arif Güran and his family reacted to Nevzat Bahtiyar. As tensions rose, the presiding judge requested the family members to be removed from the courtroom. The family members who were removed from the courtroom shouted at Bahtiyar, calling him a "pedophile killer."
"I TOOK THE BODY BECAUSE HE THREATENED ME" Then, Nevzat Bahtiyar continued his statement. In response to the prosecutor's question about where he was when Salim Güran called him, Bahtiyar answered, "Salim called me right above our house. He said, 'Nevzat, come up, I have business with you.'" To the question 'Did you run?', he replied, 'No, I walked normally. I had a water hose in my hand. I left it and went. Salim was in front of me, about 10-15 meters away. I went there. Before I could catch up with him, Salim entered Arif's house. I followed him. I entered right behind him. If I had known it was a body, I wouldn't have entered. He told me, 'Take the body.' He threatened my son. I took the body as a result of his threat," he stated.
"HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE SOMEONE WHO HAS LIED 8 TIMES?" Baran Güran, Narin's brother who was removed from the courtroom, reacted, saying, "Is this man still believed? He changes his statement 8 times, everyone believes this man. All family members have a single statement, this man is giving his 8th statement. How can you believe someone who has lied 8 times? He says something different every time. Is there such a thing? They demonized the family members," he said.
ARIF GÜRAN: I WANT JUSTICE After Nevzat Bahtiyar's statement, Narin Güran's father, Arif Güran, took the floor. Father Güran said, "Excuse me, I lose myself when my daughter is mentioned. Please do not interpret this action as disrespect. This monster spoke little. He said, 'Salim called me.' I claim that my house cannot see his house, and no sound goes there. Throughout the case, it was forgotten to check the Dara-2 camera. If that camera had shown Yüksel crying, today Arif Güran would have thanked him. 'You revealed my daughter's killers,' he would say. Today, there are various cameras in Tavşantepe from different angles. This killer has changed his statement many times. My family was lynched as a result of this person's statement. Salim, Yüksel, and Enes were tried because there was no concrete evidence other than the narrowed base. There is no other evidence. My 7-year-old son gave a statement for 7 hours, but his son did not give a statement. I do not accept this decision. I want justice," he said.
The lawyers from the Ministry of Family and Social Services also requested that Nevzat Bahtiyar be punished for 'murder in participation.'
"I WANT AN INSPECTION WITH POLICE ESCORT" Arif Güran, stating that Nevzat Bahtiyar has changed his statement many times, said, "I want an inspection with the police, not with the gendarmerie. There were 1700 personnel. Is Salim Güran bigger than them? If Salim threatened you, you should have gone to the state. There were so many gendarmes, you should have gone to the state. If he had gone, I wouldn't have claimed my rights from this man here. However, this man prayed with me for 19 days, participated in the searches. This man should go on an inspection with the police. This man's and Salim's phones were reset to factory settings by the authorities. Evidence was deleted. Nahit Eren put on a show here. Nahit Eren would not question Yüksel's honor here. I want an inspection. My family has disappeared. My nuclear family has disappeared. My daughter's rights should not be left unaddressed; I am ready to be wiped out as a family. Why is no one from his family being questioned? At the moment he said that, Narin is climbing the hill. There is a 10-meter distance between the place my daughter passed and Nevzat's house. Is this man a ghost? I do not believe this man's statements; I want an inspection. If an inspection is done and what he said comes out, I will not come here again and I will erase those in prison. If my daughter had reached home, her bag, slippers, and belongings would have been at home.
But my daughter's belongings came out of her bag,” he said.
"MY OTHER CHILDREN DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL" Güran, requesting the identification of those responsible for his daughter's death, stated:
“The appellate court overturned this case, but someone intervened. How long will this trial, this oppression go on? I want justice for my daughter. If Yüksel and Salim did it, they should also face their punishment. My first daughter also died, but on social media, they said, ‘Arif killed his own daughter.’ Here, Nevzat’s lawyer denies the involvement of Dar, but these people were punished for this. There is no concept of time in the village. My family was punished with Dar. There is no evidence. I have younger children than Narin. My children dropped out of school. My children dropped out of school because the other panel made a decision without investigating anything. My other 5 children’s lives, like Narin’s, have been ruined by lies. I seek justice first from God and then from you. All the cameras protecting the airport see my village. I want an investigation. This case can only be closed this way; otherwise, it will not close. As a father, brother, as a Muslim, Jew, Christian, believe in whatever you want, I want an investigation. Whoever is responsible for my daughter's death, the state should reveal it.”
"I BELIEVE SHE WAS KILLED AFTER BEING ABUSED" Arif Güran’s lawyer, Ezgi İpek, stated that she believes the investigation has been poorly conducted, saying, “This case has been ongoing for a year and a half. I think many pieces of evidence need to be evaluated in the file, especially digital evidence. There was a report from Tuncay Beşikçi. The PSA issue is very valuable. I believe the child was 99% likely killed after being abused. The likelihood of murder after abuse is high. A forensic report should have been obtained regarding this, but it was not. The investigation has been poorly conducted. Irrelevant times were looked at, and as a result, this is the stage we have reached. This child’s bones have been aching for a year and a half. The overturning decision should be followed. It is in your hands to clarify this case. An investigation should be conducted,” she said.
THE HEARING WAS ADJOURNED In the trial of Nevzat Bahtiyar, who is being retried for the murder of Narin Güran, the presiding judge rejected the requests for an investigation and other demands from the participants, adjourning the hearing for 2 hours.
REQUEST FOR AGGRAVATED LIFE SENTENCE FOR BAHTIYAR After the break, the prosecutor presented his opinion: "The opinion regarding the basis of the Supreme Court's overturning decision has not been followed. Although the Supreme Court's overturning decision mentioned punishment for aiding intentional murder, we continue to request that the defendant be charged directly with intentional murder. It is requested that he be tried for aggravated life imprisonment, not for aiding with the intent to participate."
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 the riverbed, covered and hidden 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 seen transporting Narin's lifeless body to the river 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 be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for 'intentional murder of a child in participation.' After being taken into custody, Nevzat Bahtiyar claimed in his statement that he did not kill Narin, but only transported and hid her lifeless body in the river. 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 participation,' while Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for 'destroying, hiding, or altering evidence of a crime.'
The Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeals 1st Criminal Chamber 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, and 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 sentences given to the detained defendants mother Yüksel, brother Enes, and uncle Salim Güran, while it overturned the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar to be evaluated under the scope of 'aiding in qualified intentional murder.' After the Supreme Court 1st Criminal Chamber overturned the sentence given to Bahtiyar, the file was sent to the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court, which evaluated Bahtiyar's detention and prepared a decision.
In the decision, the court stated that there were concrete evidence indicating the existence of strong suspicion of 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, the application of judicial control measures would be insufficient, and the detention measure was proportionate, thus deciding to continue Bahtiyar's detention. The court decided to write to the prison where defendant Bahtiyar is held to ensure his presence at the hearing and ruled that the hearing would be held on April 6.