Simoni Diril Case Heads to Constitutional Court
After Turkey's top appeals court upheld acquittals in the killing of Simoni Diril in Kovankaya village, Sirnak province, the case has been referred to the Constitutional Court.
RastinewsThe case over the killing of Simoni Diril in Kovankaya village, in Sirnak province's Beytusebap district, has gone to Turkey's Constitutional Court after the Court of Cassation upheld a local court's acquittal of two defendants.
Simoni Diril was abducted from Kovankaya (Mehri) village on January 8, 2020. Her body was found 70 days later on the bank of the Hezil stream, but the case has since stalled in the courts. At trial before Sirnak's 1st Heavy Penal Court, defendant Apro Diril was sentenced to life in prison, while Behcet Oztunc and Ismail Yildiz were acquitted. After an appeal, the Court of Cassation's 1st Criminal Chamber rejected the challenge to Oztunc and Yildiz's acquittals and upheld the ruling.
Objection: "Evidence Collection Was Incomplete"
The Court of Cassation's ruling held that there was no clear, convincing evidence, beyond all reasonable doubt, that the defendants had committed the crime, and found no legal grounds to overturn the acquittals.
Following the ruling, the Diril family's lawyer filed an application with the Constitutional Court, arguing that the principles of effective investigation and fair trial had been violated. The application states that evidence was not fully collected during the investigation phase.