Family sentenced to life for murder of 8‑year-old in Turkey
The trial has concluded in Turkey for the family members of an 8-year-old girl whose body was found in September. The girl's mother, brother, and uncle were sentenced to life imprisonment for "premeditated murder."
The body of Narin Guran was discovered in a stream in southeastern Turkey. The girl went missing on August 21, when she left for Quran lessons. Her body was found on September 8, about 0.8 kilometres from her village.
The mother, brother, and uncle of Narin, who was the head of the village authorities, were sentenced to life imprisonment for "premeditated murder committed in cooperation." A fourth suspect, Nevzat Bahtiyar, confessed to participating in the crime and received a 4.5-year prison sentence.
- After the missing Narin Güran was murdered, she was put in a sack and brought to a stream. It was covered with tree branches and stones so as not to arouse suspicion - said Murat Zorluoglu, the governor of the Diyarbakir province.
Child murder in Turkey: Shocking background
According to the Bianet service, Nevzat Bahtiyar testified that on the day of the disappearance, the girl's uncle brought her body wrapped in a blanket and instructed him to "dispose of it," giving him 200,000 lira (about CAD 8,200).
The Turkish service Duvar reported that the uncle strangled Narin because she witnessed him being intimate with her mother.
The girl's death triggered a wave of protests in Turkey. Participants in the demonstrations demanded better protection for children and criticized the authorities for their sluggishness in the search.
