06.04.2026 12:53
Nevzat Bahtiyar, who was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison for the murder of Narin Güran, is being retried. During the hearing, Bahtiyar stated, "Salim said, 'Take this body, cut it into pieces, and make sure no one sees it.' If I had done what Salim said, this body would not have been discovered. I did a good deed." The Güran family, who reacted upon hearing these words, was removed from the courtroom, and brother Baran Güran said, "Is this man still being believed? He changed his statement 8 times."
In Diyarbakır, the retrial of neighbors Nevzat Bahtiyar, who was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for the murder of Narin Güran (8), has begun after the Court of Cassation overturned the decision, stating that he should be tried for 'Aiding intentional murder'.
The lifeless body of Narin Güran, who went missing on August 21, 2024, in the rural Tavşantepe neighborhood of the Bağlar district, was found on September 8, on the 19th day of the search efforts, in a stream bed, covered with a sack and hidden under three stones weighing 30, 25, and 20 kilograms, along with bushes. In the investigation into Narin's death, an indictment was filed at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court against his uncle Salim Güran, mother Yüksel Güran, brother Enes Güran, and neighbors Nevzat Bahtiyar, who was identified through security camera footage as having transported Narin's lifeless body to the stream area in a red vehicle.
Uncle Salim Güran, who had DNA and hair samples belonging to Narin in his vehicle, along with mother Yüksel Güran and brother Enes Güran, faced a request for aggravated life imprisonment for 'Aiding intentional murder of a child' together with neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar. 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 second hearing of the case held on December 28, 2024, the court sentenced Salim, Yüksel, and Enes Güran to aggravated life imprisonment for 'Aiding intentional murder of a child', while Nevzat Bahtiyar received a 4.5-year prison sentence for 'Destruction, concealment, or alteration of evidence'.
THE APPEAL COURT UPHELD THE SENTENCES BY MAJORITY VOTE The lawyers of the detained defendants and the lawyer of father Arif Güran, along with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Diyarbakır Bar Association, appealed to the appeal court after the decision. On May 26, 2025, a decision was made by the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court, which sent the file to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeal. The chamber upheld the prison sentences given to the four defendants by majority vote. The presiding judge noted that the camera recordings, base reports, DNA findings, PSA, and hair samples were inadequately examined, and issued a dissenting opinion. The president emphasized that the acceptance that the mother, brother, and uncle committed the murder together in a short time was contrary to the ordinary course of life, particularly stating that the actions of Nevzat Bahtiyar needed to be clarified through detailed video analysis, and that the evidence was evaluated as scientifically insufficient. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation requested the approval of the decision, stating that the aggravated life sentences given to defendants Salim, Yüksel, and Enes Güran, as well as the prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar, were in accordance with the law. After the opinion, the file was sent to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.
THE COURT OF CASSATION OVERTURNED BAHTIYAR'S SENTENCE On December 29, 2025, the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation upheld the aggravated life sentences given to defendants Salim Güran, Yüksel Güran, and Enes Güran. However, it stated that the actions of defendant Nevzat Bahtiyar should be evaluated within the scope of 'Aiding qualified intentional murder' and unanimously overturned the decision regarding the 4 years and 6 months prison sentence for 'Destruction, concealment, or alteration of evidence'.
HE WAS BROUGHT TO THE COURTROOM Nevzat Bahtiyar's retrial began at the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court in accordance with the Court of Cassation's ruling. Bahtiyar, who is detained at the Adana Suluca No. 1 High Security Penitentiary Institution, was brought to the courtroom. The hearing was attended by Bahtiyar's lawyers Adnan Ataş and Ali Eryılmaz, the Güran family and their lawyers, and lawyers from the Ministry of Family and Social Services.
"IF I HAD DONE WHAT SALIM SAID, THE BODY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FOUND" Nevzat Bahtiyar, whose retrial has begun, gave his statement. When the presiding judge asked, 'Do you have an objection to the overturning decision?', Nevzat Bahtiyar replied, 'No'. In his statement regarding the day of the incident, Nevzat Bahtiyar said, "I was at work that day. I went to my house in Çarıklı at 6:30 AM. After that, I came home. I don't remember what time it was, but it was noon. I came home, and my wife said, 'We don't have water'. It was around 3:00 PM. After that, I called Salim Güran, and he said, 'Okay, I will call the authorities about the water'. Then Salim called me from 50-70 meters away. I went up towards Arif's house. I reached the top. Then 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. He said, 'I will kill your son first, then you', so 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 there. After putting it in the car, I saw Yüksel (Narin's mother) crying in front of her house. After Salim took the blanket from me before I got in the car, 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 got 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 ESCORTED OUT OF 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 secured. But now my family is secured. The statement I am giving now is true. Salim Güran ambushed me. They pulled me up. I had no choice but to take the body, I regret it. When I went to take the body, the girl was already 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 "Pedophile killer".
"I TOOK THE BODY BECAUSE HE THREATENED ME" Then, Nevzat Bahtiyar continued his statement. When asked by the prosecutor where exactly he was when Salim Güran called him, Bahtiyar replied, "Salim called me right above our house. He said, 'Nevzat, come up, I have business with you'." When asked, 'Did you run there?', he answered, '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.
On entering, I wouldn't have if I had known it was a corpse. He told me, 'Take the corpse away.' He threatened my son. As a result of his threat, I took the corpse," he stated.
"HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE SOMEONE WHO LIES 8 TIMES?" Baran Güran, Narin's brother, who was taken out of the courtroom, reacted, "Is this man still believed? He changes his statement 8 times, and everyone believes this man. All family members have a single statement, and this man is giving his 8th statement. How can you believe someone who lies 8 times? He says something different every time. Is there such a thing? They demonized the family members."