The testimony of Kahraman, the deputy gendarmerie commander arrested in the Gülistan Doku investigation, has been obtained.

03.09.2026 20:10

The testimony of retired Colonel Ali Kahraman, former Deputy Commander of the Tunceli Provincial Gendarmerie, who was arrested within the scope of the Gülistan Doku investigation, has emerged. While Kahraman claimed that there were 176 cameras in Tunceli and that all of them were operational, he said he was not sure whether there was a camera at the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct. Stating that he did not find Tuncay Sonel's defense regarding the Doku incident convincing, Kahraman alleged that Sonel was skilled at 'manipulation and perception management.'

Statements have been obtained from retired Colonel Ali Kahraman, former Deputy Commander of the Tunceli Provincial Gendarmerie, who was arrested as part of the investigation into university student Gülistan Doku, who has been unreachable since January 5, 2020, in Tunceli.

“THERE WERE 176 CAMERA SYSTEMS WITH NO BLIND SPOTS”

In his statement at the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Kahraman stated that he met former Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel in Tunceli, claimed that their communication continued sporadically until Sonel's detention, and that they did not have a very close relationship or contact.

Kahraman, who served as Deputy Provincial Gendarmerie Commander and Provincial Gendarmerie Commander's Deputy in Tunceli between July 2017 and July 2019, said the following regarding a question about the cameras at the castle outposts in Tunceli: "When we left Tunceli, until we reached the Elmalık Station towards Elazığ, there were 176 camera systems, as far as I can recall, ensuring there were no blind spots. These cameras had zoom capabilities. While I was there, all these cameras were active and working without issues. All cameras could be monitored 24 hours a day from the camera room at the Provincial Gendarmerie Command Operations Center, under the responsibility of the Public Order Branch Directorate, and were archived in their own database. The Sarı Saltuk Viaduct was also on this route with no blind spots. As far as I know, these cameras were fully operational until I left in July 2019."

“THERE MUST DEFINITELY BE A CAMERA AT THE SARI SALTUK VIADUCT”

Regarding the finding that there were no camera images on the Tunceli and Elazığ directions of the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct and that no footage of Doku could be obtained, Kahraman said, "I said all cameras were placed to avoid blind zones, but I might be mistaken about that area. In our briefings, we used to say we placed our cameras to ensure no blind zones. Right now, I'm not even sure whether there was a camera there during my time. The gendarmerie area begins after the university junction. Therefore, the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct falls within the police area. In my opinion, there must definitely be a camera at the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct you mentioned. This is the only entrance point to the city."

Kahraman stated that on January 2, 2020, he came to Tunceli with his wife Burçin Hızlı Kahraman and their daughters in a vehicle assigned to his wife, paid visits, and went to breakfast at an acquaintance's place on January 4.

Explaining that on the morning of the day Gülistan Doku disappeared, they attended breakfast at the Bayraktepe Provincial Gendarmerie Command, Kahraman noted that they arrived at the Pertek Ferry Dock at 12:55 and left the city.

HIS SENDING TOWER INFORMATION TO SONEL DESPITE BEING ASSIGNED IN GAZIANTEP

When it was stated that he sent an Excel file titled "living area tower information" to Tuncay Sonel, Kahraman said, "Tuncay Sonel sent me a message saying, 'We are in a meeting at the governor's office right now, we urgently need tower information.' I forwarded the same message as is to the relevant colleague. When he responded, I forwarded the message again as is to Tuncay Sonel."

When reminded that the date of the messaging was January 4, 2020, that he was in Tunceli on that date, and that he was working in Gaziantep, Kahraman replied as follows: "Because I was in Tunceli on January 4, Tuncay Sonel, seeing that I was there, said, 'We are in a meeting at the governor's office right now, we urgently need tower information.' I called the relevant person and requested the photos. As soon as they arrived, I sent them to Tuncay Sonel."

“WE DID NOT TAKE GÜLİSTAN DOKU INTO OUR CAR”

Asked about the vehicle they were traveling in being captured on camera footage on the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct around 12:25 on January 5, 2020, the day Gülistan disappeared, their detection on route cameras, and his wife's calls with Handan Sonel at 12:27 and thereafter, Kahraman continued: "At 12:27, my wife called Handan Sonel to thank her and inform her that we were leaving Tunceli, but the phone wasn't answered. My wife, my daughters, and I did not stop anywhere, did not pick up anyone from the road, saw no one on the way, and arrived at the Pertek Ferry Dock at 12:55. Later, when Handan Hanım called back, Burçin thanked her and informed her that she had left Tunceli. In their subsequent conversations, they gossiped about women, saying things disparagingly about them. They were talking about their own personal matters and their experiences during the Tunceli visit. Nothing about Gülistan Doku was ever discussed, as you might think. The conversation was entirely women's gossip. We did not take Gülistan Doku into our car; we would never participate in such an act."

“TUNCAY SONEL WAS SKILLED AT PERSUADING EVERYONE, MANIPULATING, AND MANAGING PERCEPTION”

During his statement at the prosecutor's office, Kahraman was asked about "the findings that, despite statements being taken from over 200 people and their vehicles identified within 15-20 days based on vehicle passages during the time Gülistan disappeared, the vehicle they were in was excluded from the investigation and not identified, and their statements were not taken, as well as his position as the highest-ranking superior over the security guards during his tenure in Tunceli and his influence over them."

Ali Kahraman noted the following in response to this question: "When we came to Tunceli, we met with Tuncay Sonel and his wife. My contact with Şükrü (Sonel's bodyguard Şükrü Eroğlu) was entirely due to the teacher's house reservation and the issue I experienced there. As for our meetings with Tuncay Sonel and his wife, they were the governor and the governor's wife at the time; they invited us to a cafe and for meals—nothing beyond a human invitation to a meal ever occurred. During my tenure, the guards were heroic guards working under the TEM branch, but there can never be a situation where the governor imposes authority over me to do wrong things, nor where I impose authority over the guards or have them do wrong things. I do think Tuncay Sonel could impose authority over the guards and manipulate them because he had such a character; he was skilled at persuading everyone, manipulating, and managing perception."

“I WANT THE DISHONORABLE ONES TO BE PUNISHED AS MUCH AS YOU DO”

Regarding the allegations that Gülistan Doku was picked up by a vehicle outside the cameras' field of view, Kahraman said, "As a gendarmerie officer who has served the Gendarmerie with honor and dignity for 33 years, I would never do such a thing. I also have three daughters. May God curse those who would want to do such a thing. I, too, want these incidents to be clarified, the truth to come out, and the dishonorable ones to be punished, just as much as you do."

“FRANKLY, I DON'T FIND TUNCAY SONEL'S DEFENSE CONVINCING EITHER”

When asked whether Tuncay Sonel made any request to him regarding tracking Gülistan Doku's signal information and about Sonel's claim that he "wanted to conduct signal detection" as a reason for sending the new SIM card to Gökhan Ertok, Kahraman said, "Tuncay Sonel never contacted me regarding the Gülistan Doku incident; he made no request to me on this matter."

"WE HAD A MUCH BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW TUNCAY SONEL AS SELF-SEEKING AND HIS WIFE AS WHIMSICAL"

Reminding that his wife Burçin Hızlı Kahraman stated in her statement to the prosecutor's office that "After the holiday, she minimized her relationship with Tuncay Sonel and his family and has not seen them since mid-2025," Ali Kahraman was asked whether he maintained contact with Tuncay Sonel and his family. He defended himself, saying, "As my wife said, during this short holiday, we had a much better opportunity to get to know Tuncay Sonel as self-seeking and his wife as whimsical. We minimized our meetings. When they were assigned to Ordu, they invited us, but we never went."

"FOR A MERE TRIFLE, HE CALLED ME AND ASKED FOR BARBER AND HAIRDRESSER SERVICES"

Kahraman explained that after his duty in Gaziantep, he was assigned to Ankara, where he served as the commander responsible for social facilities in the unit where he worked, and retired on August 30, 2026. He said, "(Tuncay Sonel) After he was sidelined in Ankara, again for his own benefit and for a mere trifle, he called me and asked for barber and hairdresser services, and I gave the sergeant's number to Tuncay Sonel, thus reducing contact to a minimum. In 2026, I met with him very rarely."

"THE GOVERNOR'S SON USED TO CARRY A GUN"

Regarding a question about Tuncay Sonel's son, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, Kahraman said, "I heard that he used his father's influence in every environment. He used to walk around at school with protective pants, and at other times, he would walk around in protective gear alongside the protection personnel. While walking around, he also carried a gun, but I don't know whether the gun he carried was real."