13.10.2026 11:43
The case of 16-year-old Hiranur Nilgün Aygar, who was shot dead with a gun in Mersin at the beginning of last year, has been taken to appeal. The court of first instance had sentenced the defendant Hüseyin Arda Şark to life imprisonment; at the hearing held upon the family's objection, the prosecutor requested aggravated life imprisonment for Şark. The court adjourned the hearing to October 19.
In MERSIN, the family of Hiranur Nilgün Aygar (16), who lost her life after being shot in the head with a pistol in a car, objected to the decision sentencing detained defendant Hüseyin Arda Şark (20) to life imprisonment and took the case to appeal. In the retrial, the prosecutor requested that Şark be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, while the other defendants' current sentences be upheld. Hiranur's father, Murat Aygar, said, "The prosecutor's request brought us some relief, even if only a little. We believe in justice; I believe they will receive the necessary sentences."
The incident occurred last year on August 31 in the Toroslar district. Hiranur Nilgün Aygar, who was shot in the head with a pistol, died at Mersin City Hospital, where she was taken by car in severe condition. Aygar's boyfriend Hüseyin Arda Şark, who took her to the hospital, said in his statement to the hospital police, "Hira has been my girlfriend for about 2 months. We had gone to a soldier's send-off celebration together. Meanwhile, I fired the pistol I had with me into the air. On the way back, while returning home with my friends Nazmi Çetin and Mustafa Zeybek, we stopped at a market on Sebahattin Çakmakoğlu Street in Akbelen Neighborhood. We got out of the vehicle. Meanwhile, Hira, who remained in the vehicle, took the pistol and shot herself in the head."
After Mustafa Zeybek and Nazmi Çetin also gave contradictory statements, teams from the Homicide Bureau launched an investigation and detained the 3 suspects. In his second statement, Şark said that, intending to joke around, he pressed the pistol he thought was empty against his girlfriend's forehead and pulled the trigger. Hüseyin Arda Şark, stating that they did not go to the hospital immediately after the incident, recounted that they first left Hiranur Aygar in a wooded area, then picked her up again and took her to the hospital. During the teams' search at the specified location, blood traces were found. After autopsy procedures, Aygar's body, which was handed over to her relatives, was buried. All 3 suspects were arrested by the court they were brought before.
VERDICT HEARING HELD
At the hearing of the case held on May 8 at the Mersin 5th High Criminal Court, detained defendants Hüseyin Arda Şark, Mustafa Zeybek and Nazmi Çetin attended via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from the prison where they are held, while the lawyers and Hiranur's mother and father were present in the courtroom. Asked for his last word, Şark said, "There was absolutely no argument between us. I did not harm her, I did not shoot. I have no reason to shoot. I request my release."
The other defendants, Zeybek and Çetin, also argued that they had no involvement in the incident and requested their release. The court panel sentenced Hüseyin Arda Şark to life imprisonment for 'killing a child with possible intent' and to 2 years in prison for 'possessing an unlicensed weapon', and decided that his detention should continue. The other defendants, Mustafa Zeybek and Nazmi Çetin, were each sentenced to 4 months in prison for 'destroying, concealing or altering evidence of a crime'. The court decided to release the 2 defendants.
CASE TAKEN TO APPEAL
After the Aygar family objected to the verdict, the case was taken to the court of appeal. The court decided to re-examine the case file with a hearing. At the hearing held yesterday at the Adana Regional Court of Justice 18th Criminal Chamber, the prosecutor requested that Hüseyin Arda Şark be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, and that the previous sentences for the other defendants, Mustafa Zeybek and Nazmi Çetin, remain unchanged. The court panel adjourned the hearing to October 19.
'I BELIEVE THEY WILL RECEIVE THE NECESSARY SENTENCES'
Hiranur Aygar's father, Murat Aygar, who attended the hearing, said, "After our objection, there was the first hearing of my daughter's case. We said that the sentences given to the defendants were insufficient. The prosecutor's request for aggravated life imprisonment for Hüseyin Arda Şark pleased us. However, the fact that the sentences for Zeybek and Nazmi Çetin were not changed saddened us. The verdict brought us some relief. I wish the other defendants had received the same sentences as well. We believe in justice; I believe they will receive the necessary sentences."