14.01.2026 17:03
In the case of 4-year-old Leyla Aydemir, whose body was found 18 days after going missing in Ağrı, a new hearing will be held on January 16 following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the previous ruling. During the hearing, both AFAD witnesses will be heard and the results of the comprehensive investigation conducted by the prosecutor's office will be included in the case file.
The case of 4-year-old Leyla Aydemir, whose lifeless body was found days after she went missing in Ağrı in 2018, will be heard again following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the case.
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED THE CASE
Lawyer Erdoğan Tunç, representing mother Şükran Aydemir, requested the case to be overturned on its merits. In response, the Supreme Court's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office deemed the objections of the intervening attorney justified and requested the case to be overturned. The Supreme Court's 1st Criminal Chamber accepted these objections and overturned the case on the grounds of insufficient investigation.
AFAD OFFICIALS WILL BE HEARD
Lawyer Erdoğan Tunç stated, "In this hearing, AFAD officials who participated in the search and rescue team will be heard as witnesses. The investigation file we opened at the prosecutor's office is ongoing, and the hearing will be postponed due to missing issues. We will inform the court of our requests regarding the case. We are making every effort for effective prosecution to ensure justice is served," he said.
LEYLA'S LIFLESS BODY WAS FOUND 18 DAYS LATER
4-year-old Leyla Aydemir, who went missing on June 15, 2018, while visiting her grandfather with her family in the village of Bezirhane due to the Ramadan holiday, was searched for, and her lifeless body was found 18 days later, 2 kilometers from the village, near the road leading to the city center, among the trees by the river. The child's body, which showed no signs of trauma or injury, was buried in Bezirhane village.
Following the incident, a case was opened against 7 defendants regarding the death of little Leyla at the Ağrı 1st Heavy Penal Court. In the decision hearing held on October 2, 2020, at this court, the detained defendant uncle Yusuf A. was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for "intentional murder" and 4 years in prison for "depriving a person of their liberty by force and deceit," while the other defendants Y.A, B.D, H.D, M.A, M.A.A, and A.A. were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
THE APPEALS COURT OVERTURNED THE LOCAL COURT'S DECISION
The Erzurum Regional Court of Appeals 1st Criminal Chamber, reviewing the case, indicated that there must be evidence beyond all doubt to convict the defendant and pointed out various procedural deficiencies, thus overturning the local court's decision for all defendants. The court that overturned the local court's decision on both substantive and procedural grounds also ordered the release of Yusuf A.
The objection made by the Erzurum Regional Court of Appeals Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on January 4, 2021, against this decision was also rejected by the Regional Court of Appeals 1st Criminal Chamber. The Presidents' Council of the Erzurum Regional Court of Appeals, which reviewed the case, found the overturning decision of the 1st Criminal Chamber to be lawful.
Following the overturning decision, on October 8, 2021, the Ağrı 1st Heavy Penal Court ruled for the acquittal of all defendants due to lack of evidence.
The file examined upon objection was found to be lawful by the Erzurum Regional Court of Appeals 1st Criminal Chamber.
The Supreme Court's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office deemed the acquittal decision for the 7 defendants retried to be unlawful and requested the ruling to be overturned.