04.03.2026 21:22
In the case regarding the murder of Sinan Ateş, where there are 22 defendants, the defendants Mustafa Ensar Aykal and Serdar Öktem, along with 10 other defendants, appeared before the judge. Defendant Burak Kılıç stated that he sent photos of the site where Sinan Ateş lived to Tolgahan Demirbaş, but he did not know that the victim lived in that site at the time he sent those images. The court postponed the hearing to June 24.
The trial involving the murder of the former president of the Ülkü Ocakları Education and Culture Foundation and Hacettepe University faculty member Assoc. Dr. Sinan Ateş, in which 22 defendants are involved, continued with the prosecution of defendants Mustafa Ensar Aykal and Serdar Öktem, whose files were separated, along with 10 other defendants whose files were merged, who are alleged to have obtained personal information about Ateş.
Some of the defendants who are not in custody and their lawyers attended the hearing held at the Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court. The victim's wife, complainant Ayşe Ateş, and her relatives were also present at the hearing. After reading the documents submitted to the case, the presiding judge granted the defendants the floor.
THEY APPEARED BEFORE THE JUDGE
Defendant Burak Kılıç, who participated in the hearing via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), stated that he sent photos of the site where Sinan Ateş lived to Tolgahan Demirbaş, but he did not know that the victim lived in that site at the time he sent those images.
Kılıç, who could not remember how he obtained the images, said, "I might have seen and sent them from social media or internet platforms. I don't remember; I learned that Ateş lived in the site shown in those images when the prosecutor mentioned it. I don't remember what thought I had when I sent the images to Tolgahan."
"THE PERSON INTENDED IS NOT HIM"
When the presiding judge asked who "S.A" was in the conversations between Kılıç and Tolgahan Demirbaş, Kılıç replied, "I do not personally know Sinan Ateş; if that was the intended person, I would have written it clearly. I do not remember to whom it belongs. It could be anyone whose name starts with S and surname with A."
Defendant Gökhan Türkmen, who also participated in the hearing via SEGBİS, stated that he was the hotel manager and that Doğukan Çep stayed at the hotel by presenting a fake identity with a friend, adding that he was out of town on the day of the incident.
Türkmen expressed that he did not have the authority to determine whether the identity was fake and also stated that the payments made through those identities were recorded.
"I AM SURE THAT EVERY SECOND OF THIS INCIDENT IS IN THEIR MINDS"
Defendant Talha Atalay claimed that he had no connection to the murder, saying, "I am being accused because we are from the same community as Tolgahan Demirbaş. I do not understand why I am being tried in a heavy penal court. I request the removal of my judicial control measures."
Sinan Ateş's sister, Sevda Ateş, reacted to the defendants' statements, saying, "They say they do not remember. I want justice to remind them. My trust in justice is infinite. I am sure that every second of this incident is in their minds. This is not an insignificant event. They remember everything. I am as sure as my name that these defenses are lies."
The prosecutor, whose opinion was sought, requested the court to wait for the expert report, to lift the judicial control measures regarding Serdar Öktem, who was understood to have died, to separate the public case, and to continue the current status of the defendants.
After the statements, the defendants' lawyers argued that their clients were innocent and requested acquittal from the court.
The complainant's lawyers also requested that all documents sent to the expert be sent to them as well.
After the statements, the court announced its interim decision, deciding to wait for the expert report and to separate the file of defendant Serdar Öktem, who was murdered in Istanbul on October 6.
Additionally, the court ruled to lift the judicial control measures applied to defendant Yunus Hasar, while continuing the judicial control measures for the other defendants, and adjourned the hearing until June 24.
BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
In the case regarding the murder of Assoc. Dr. Sinan Ateş, the Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court announced its decision on October 2, 2024, sentencing the shooter Eray Özyağci, the driver of the motorcycle used in the incident Vedat Balkaya, and Suat Kurt, who conducted the inspection at the crime scene, to aggravated life imprisonment for "premeditated murder," and sentencing complainant Selman Bozkurt to 13 years in prison for "attempted murder."
The court also sentenced Özyağci to 1 year and 6 months in prison for "possessing and carrying an unlicensed firearm." Doğukan Çep and Tolgahan Demirbaş were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "instigating premeditated murder."
The court sentenced defendants Aşkın Mert Gelenbey, Murat Can Çolak, and Emre Yüksel to 18 years in prison for "aiding in premeditated murder," and defendant Mustafa Uzunlar to 15 years in prison. The court also sentenced defendant Alper Atay to 2 years in prison for "aiding a criminal."
The court ruled for the acquittal of defendants Zekeriya Asarkaya, Hakan Saraç, Ufuk Köktürk, Mehmet Yüce, Osman Bayraktar, Caner Günay, Umut Ersoy, Çağlar Zorlu, Aytaç Ataç, and Erdem Karadeniz regarding the charges against them, and ordered that defendant Günay be reported to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for "aiding a criminal."
THE COURT HAD SEPARATED THE FILES OF ÖKTEM AND AYKAL
On the other hand, a case was also opened at the Ankara 34th Criminal Court against 8 defendants, including Burak Kılıç, Suat Yılmazzobu, Gürsel Horat, and Commissioner Talha Atalay, who were accused of obtaining some information about Sinan Ateş before his murder and helping to conceal those involved in the crime after the murder.
The Ankara Regional Court of Justice 5th Criminal Chamber decided to merge the case of Aykal and Öktem, which was separated from the main case file involving the murder of Sinan Ateş with 22 defendants, upon the request of the Ankara 34th Criminal Court.
After the merger decision, the number of defendants being tried in the case increased to 10.