At the hearing of the Şenyaşar family in Malatya, the mother of the imprisoned Fadıl Şenyaşar asked: “What kind of justice is this?”

Shop owner Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar and two of his sons, Adil and Celal, lost their lives as a result of an armed attack by relatives of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP’s) Urfa deputy, İbrahim Halil Yıldız. The attack took place in the Suruç district of Urfa on 14 June 2018, just before the local elections in Turkey, while deputy İbrahim Halil Yıldız and those accompanying him were visiting shops as part of their election campaign.

Mehmet Şah Yıldız from the family of the AKP deputy also lost his life during the incident. The third hearing was held in Malatya’s Third High Criminal Court on Friday. Fadıl Şenyaşar, whose two brothers and father were murdered during the incident in 2018, was imprisoned in the Elazığ closed prison, and Yıldız’s brother Enver Yıldız was jailed pending trial.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Öcalan, Ayşe Sürücü, former deputy Behçet Yıldırım and the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK) co-chair Mehmet Bozgeyik were blocked from attending the hearing.

Şenyaşar’s mother spoke at the hearing and demanded the court release her son.

Lawyer Emek: The attacks were organised

The Şenyaşar family’s lawyer, Hidayet Emek, said that the attacks carried out in the Şenyaşar family’s shop on that day were organized and, according to footage of the incident, the attackers were carrying guns. The court has decided to delay the next hearing until 20 November in order to cover all the key points and outstanding documents in the case.

Following the hearing, Şenyaşar’s mother said: “They murdered my husband before my eyes. They murdered my two sons in the hospital. They imprisoned my other son and will not release him. What did my son do? Why don’t you reveal the footage in the hospital. Is this justice? My son is in jail while the murderers are free. Enough is enough! What kind of justice is this?”