Top court upholds life sentences for family in Diyarbakır girl murder

ANKARA

The Court of Appeals on Dec. 29 upheld life sentences for family members convicted in the murder of Narin Güran that shook the nation last year, while ruling that a cooperating neighbor will be retried on charges of aiding in the killing.

Eight-year-old Güran went missing in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in August 2024, and after weeks of searching, her body was found in a stream bed.

In the widely publicized case, the local court determined that the murder was committed jointly by the girl’s mother, brother and uncle, sentencing all three to aggravated life imprisonment.

Another figure in the case, neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar, had admitted helping move the body but insisted he had not participated in the killing. The court sentenced Bahtiyar to four years and six months in prison for “destroying, concealing or altering evidence.”

The high court’s Dec. 29 ruling confirmed the aggravated sentences for the family members but ordered that Bahtiyar be retried on charges of “assisting in murder.”

With this decision, Bahtiyar will once again face trial.

The killing of the child by her family members caused widespread public outrage and sparked months of intense discussion across multiple aspects of the case.

Following the incident, a parliamentary commission was established with the aim of determining the measures needed to protect children from all forms of violence, neglect and abuse and to ensure the development of their mental, emotional and physical well-being.