Turkish justice minister meets family as probe into student’s suspicious death drags on

ANKARA

Türkiye’s Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has met with the father of Rojin Kabaiş, a university student whose body was found weeks after she went missing in the eastern province of Van, as the investigation into her death remains ongoing.

Rojin Kabaiş’s father, Nizamettin Kabaiş, was accompanied by her brother, uncle and the family’s lawyer.

Rojin Kabaiş, a first-year student at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, disappeared on Sept. 27 last year after leaving her student dormitory.

Her body was discovered on Oct. 15 near Van Lake.

The initial autopsy listed her cause of death as drowning, and the case was treated as a possible suicide.

However, a report by the forensic medicine institute revealed that DNA belonging to two different men was detected on Rojin Kabaiş’s chest and genital area.

No suspects have been detained so far in the case.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Nizamettin Kabaiş said the family was exhausted after months of uncertainty and was seeking answers.

“We want to know what happened to our daughter, who did this and why no one has been identified,” he said, adding that he hoped the meeting in Ankara would help move the case forward.

The family’s lawyer, İrem İlhan, said they asked for the scope of the investigation to be expanded, including examining the case under sexual assault provisions of the penal code.

She said the ministry responded positively and committed to closely following the case.

İlhan also confirmed that Rojin Kabaiş’s mobile phone was sent to Spain on Dec. 17 for technical analysis.

Tunç later said on social media that the family had been informed in detail about every stage of the investigation.

He said prosecutors in Van were conducting the inquiry “meticulously and from all angles.”

“We will continue to take every necessary step to uncover the truth and ensure justice is served,” the minister said.