03.02.2025 09:11
Dr. İlker Gönen, who was tried in the newborn gang case and referred to as the second-in-command of the organization, committed suicide in prison. Following the suicide, Gönen's lawyer, Aydın Mantar, claimed that a rope had been left in his client's cell before the suicide. In response to Lawyer Mantar's statements, the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation.
In the case of the newborn gang that provided unfair profits by transferring babies to hospitals they had agreements with and caused their deaths through negligent behavior, Dr. İlker Gönen, who was in a position of organization leader and faced a prison sentence of 177 years and 6 months to 582 years and 9 months, committed suicide in the prison where he was held.
HE CUT HIS WRISTS WITH A TEA GLASS
Gönen, who had been detained in Antalya High Security Prison since October 29, ended his life by cutting his wrists with a tea glass. After his suicide attempt in the room where he was alone, he pressed the button to call the staff, but despite the first aid provided, he could not be saved and passed away. Gönen was held responsible for the deaths of 10 babies.
CLAIM THAT THEY LEFT A ROPE FROM THE LAWYER
Following İlker Gönen's death, an investigation was launched against the prison staff, and Gönen's lawyer Aydın Mantar claimed, "They left a rope in his cell when he returned from the hearing at Marmara Closed Prison."
"HE WAS DRIVEN TO THIS ACTION BY PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE"
Lawyer Mantar shared the following statements on his social media account:
"There is a matter that I had to refrain from mentioning earlier because I promised my client, my brother, upon his request and for his well-being. When he returned from the hearing at the high-security Marmara Closed Prison, where they were temporarily held during the 2nd hearing, they left a rope in his cell.
He told me this under my pressure. I expressed my desire to immediately document this and to do whatever is necessary to hold those responsible accountable. However, he explained that there were no cameras in the corridors of the place he was held, unlike other prisons, and that he was afraid because of this, saying: 'When they say one morning that your brother hanged himself, you can't do anything, you can't prove anything.' Despite my insistence, he made me promise not to share this matter with anyone, including his family.
I cannot know at this stage whether this suspicion of his was realized or not. Even if it were otherwise, I wanted to express that he was driven to this action by psychological torture and to make a note of it in history."
THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE HAS TAKEN ACTION
Following İlker Gönen's suicide in the prison where he was held, an investigation was launched against lawyer Aydın Mantar on the charge of 'Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information.'
In a written statement from the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated:
"Regarding the incident of İlker Gönen, who committed suicide on 01/02/2025 while being held in the Antalya High Security Closed Penal Institution, an urgent and meticulous investigation is being conducted by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In relation to the statements made by Av. Aydın Mantar on his social media account and in the visual media, our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal investigation against Av. Aydın Mantar for the crime of 'Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information.'
WHO IS İLKER GÖNEN?
Dr. İlker Gönen was accused of being the second-in-command of the organization known as the newborn gang.
According to the indictment, Dr. Fırat Sarı, the owner of Medisense Health Services Company, acquired many private hospitals' neonatal intensive care units in Istanbul together with Dr. İlker Gönen. Fırat Sarı then placed the health workers under his control in the neonatal units of the hospitals they had agreements with.
The network's health workers identified baby patients born in state hospitals or different private hospitals, whose treatment was deemed appropriate to be carried out in other hospitals due to the overload, through 112 Emergency Call Center ambulance driver Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir, 112 Emergency Call Center patient transfer operator Fehmi Alperen, out-of-town patient transfer operator Serdar Yüksel, and Renas Kılıç, who was working in the Health Services of Esenyurt Municipality at that time. The indictment included the names of the organization's leader, managers, and members in the crime organization chart.
According to the chart, it was stated that Fırat Sarı was the leader of the crime organization, while İlker Gönen and Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir were the managers. The members of the organization were reported to be Renas Kılıç, Serdar Yüksel, Fehmi Alperen, Hakan Doğukan Taşçı, Hasan Basri Gök, Deniz Korkmaz, Enes Kaan Bölükbaşı, Hüseyin Günerhan, Sümeyye Nur Arslan, Cansu Akyıldırım, and Mehtap Sayar.