In the 2019 local elections in Malatya's Pütürge district, the two aggravated life sentences given to the defendants for the murder of two ballot box observers of Saadet Party were overturned with the objection of the Supreme Court prosecutor.
Before the trial at the Kırşehir High Criminal Court, the press release held in front of the Kırşehir Courthouse called for justice.
İzzet Aktaş, the uncle of the murdered ballot box observers, stated that 5 people received 2 aggravated life sentences after the murder, but now the decision has been overturned.
"In the local election of March 31, 2019, the Saadet Party observers Hasan Aktaş and İlyas Aktaş, who were on duty during the election held in the Bölünmez District of Malatya, Pütürge district, were murdered. This massacre was carried out by planning and designing Pütürge Mayor Mikail Sülük's father Hacı Sülük, his son Ömer Sülük and his grandchildren Mahmut Sülük, Hacı Ömer Sülük and Abdulkadir Sülük. My relatives died during the incident. As a result of the court, a total of 5 people were sentenced to 2 times aggravated life imprisonment. The decision was first upheld by the Kırşehir Heavy Penal Court and the Ankara Regional Courthouse and the Supreme Court decision, and the case was closed 2.5 years ago", he said.
“WE DON'T ACCEPT THE DECISION”
Expressing that the sentences of the defendants were reduced as a result of the unfolding events, Aktaş underlined that the two persons were not in prison as fugitives.
"From the moment of the incident, the accused Mahmut Sülük has been on the run since then. Although their father, Hacı Sülük, had no health problems, he was given a false report. He is trying to intimidate us. The remaining 3 people were sentenced to life sentences in Kırşehir High Criminal Court with a 91-page appeal petition by a prosecutor. We, as the Aktaş family, think that none of these decisions fit the rule of law and justice. We never accept. We, as a family, only want the duty to provide justice and to make decisions in accordance with the rule of justice. After this massacre, the AKP mayor is still in office. The event deeply affected both us and the people of Pütürge. Nobody wants this mayor. The deputies we elected as the people of Malatya stand by the oppressor. Malatya deputies somehow get these murderers out of jail and visit them in their homes. We want the law to resolve this situation", he said.
“SUPERIOR JUSTICE WILL BE DONE AGAIN”
On behalf of Saadet Party, Attorney Selim Aydın stated that they have followed the court since the beginning, noting that the 91-page Supreme Court decision that was revealed did not tell anything.
"We can clearly state that; this spear does not fit in the sack. We do not accept the decision that reveals the Supreme Court's decision by copying and pasting the statements, forensic medicine reports, which have no legal justification or basis. We will do our best for the Kırşehir Heavy Penal Court to persist in its decision and for the defendants to continue with 2 aggravated life sentences. This is not a banana republic. We are against the contradictions that have been revealed. Supreme justice will be manifested again", he said.