22 defendants to face trial in nationalist politician’s murder case

The 22 defendants accused in the murder of former Ulku Ocaklari Education and Culture Foundation President and academic Sinan Ates will begin trial tomorrow, facing charges including “premeditated murder,” “attempted murder,” “incitement to crime,” and “aiding and abetting.”

Ates was fatally shot in an attack in Ankara’s Cankaya district on December 30, 2022.

The trial will take place at the Sincan Penal Institutions Campus courtroom and is expected to span five days. Ates’s family and opposition leader Ozgur Ozel will attend the trial, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), criticized for allegedly being involved in the incident, plans to monitor proceedings through its legal representatives.

According to the indictment, key defendants Eray Ozyagci, Vedat Balkaya, and Suat Kurt, described as “co-perpetrators,” face aggravated life sentences for “premeditated murder.” Dogukan Cep and Tolgahan Demirbas also face aggravated life sentences for incitement to murder.

Additionally, Ozyagci faces charges of “possession and carrying of an unlicensed firearm,” which carries a sentence of 1 to 3 years, while Demirbas faces three to seven years for “unlawfully obtaining personal data.”

The indictment also calls for other defendants – Zekeriya Asarkaya, Hakan Sarac, Ufuk Kokturk, Mehmet Yuce, Mustafa Uzunlar, Askın Mert Gelenbey, Murat Can Colak, Osman Bayraktar, Caner Guney, Umut Ersoy, Caglar Zorlu, Aytac Atac, Emre Yuksel, Serdar Oktem, Erdem Karadeniz, Alper Atay and Mustafa Ensar Aykal – to face prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years for “aiding and abetting premeditated murder.”

Former homicide bureau chief Aykal also faces charges of “abuse of public office” for unlawfully accessing the victim’s personal information, carrying an additional sentence of three to six years in prison.