Testimony of Baran Güran
Presiding Judge
Presiding Judge : We are starting the hearing. First, Yüksel is your mother. Enes is your brother, and Salim is your uncle. Because of this, you have the right to refrain from testifying. That is, you have the right not to testify.
Baran Güran : I can.
Presiding Judge : Do you wish to testify?
Baran Güran : Yes.
Presiding Judge : You wish to testify. We will hear you without oath under the CMK. Yes, Baran. First, in general, what would you like to say about these events? What did you witness? Let’s hear you.
Baran Güran : I don’t know either. How did things happen like this? How did it get here? How did it unfold like this? I have no idea about that.
Presiding Judge : Alright, where are you? What do you do?
Baran Güran : I am a heavy machinery operator.
Presiding Judge : Where do you work? You work in Erzurum. In Erzurum.
Baran Güran : Başkale, yes.
Presiding Judge : Where were you on the day of the incident?
Baran Güran : I was in Diyarbakır.
Presiding Judge : You were in Diyarbakır. One moment. When did you learn that our girl Narin was missing?
Baran Güran : It was around 7–8 p.m., I think. My brother Muhammed called me.
Presiding Judge : Muhammed called. Did you notify the gendarmerie as soon as you found out?
Baran Güran : I went to the village first.
Presiding Judge : You went to the village first.
Baran Güran : I first went by the mosque. There was a large crowd. From there, without stopping, I went up. To the house area. I asked where Narin was, and so on. Then—I don’t remember exactly—was it 112, what was it, I called. I called to report a missing person, even was it 105?
Presiding Judge : Yes.
Baran Güran : I called, then we learned about the canal. I mean the canal came to mind because it had cooled down.
Presiding Judge : That’s it. Now, after these events, the family allegedly held secret meetings among themselves. That is, meetings among family members. Your uncles—cameras were installed in houses. These are the allegations. What do you say about this?
Baran Güran : Your Honor, if there had been a secret meeting, would it have been held in this village? In a way everyone could see? Otherwise, in a hidden place—Diyarbakır is a very big place. And during these events sometimes ministers were coming, visiting the village. When a minister came, they would say empty the house. We would send out all the guests coming from Batman, from Diyarbakır. They would say a minister is coming, they will speak, empty the house. Besides that, we didn’t tell anyone there was a private meeting, nor was there one.
Presiding Judge : There was no such thing.
Baran Güran : I personally did not witness it. If there had been a very private meeting, our house—indeed all the family members’ houses—are not blind spots. If such a highly secret meeting had been held in a way the villagers could see, it wouldn’t have been held in the village.
Presiding Judge : It wouldn’t have been held in the village. Now, there was also a fight among the women.
Baran Güran : I wasn’t there at that moment because they first took me for identification that day. I wasn’t there when the fight happened.
Presiding Judge : You weren’t there. Alright. Do you have any information about why these women fought, that your uncles tried to silence them?
Baran Güran : Your Honor, because there was estrangement and such, everyone was very angry. Everyone was burning inside. At the slightest word, everyone would explode. I myself argued with my family members many times as well. Not about this matter, but because the subject was Narin, at the slightest thing a person would immediately explode. Because of that anger.
Presiding Judge : So these statements like “You know everything. Don’t make us speak. What did we do anyway, as if the men did it”—are these because of an outburst rather than because they knew something?
Baran Güran : I think because of the outburst. I mean I don’t think—pardon me for interrupting, Your Honor—if they had known, I believe they would have told. Because there is an innocent girl at the center.
Presiding Judge : Now, for approximately 15–20 days you too were searching. If they had known, would you have gained an impression of that? I tried to ask that yesterday. You know how rumors are heard in a village. Your father received thousands of calls from countless people for hours—“Your daughter is with me” and so on. Did you hear anything like this in the village as well—this girl was killed, buried there; this girl was abducted; so-and-so abducted her; Bahtiyar killed her; Nevzat killed her—before she was found? Did you hear such a thing?
Baran Güran : No, Your Honor. There was no such thing, but this did happen: on the day of the incident, some people in the village said a Syrian—what we call “mırtıp”—a car came to the village that day. When, after she came from the Qur’an course and went up, we said, was she abducted perhaps? Because no thought at all occurred to us that she had died. Since we had nothing of that sort, we said maybe she was abducted by someone. And this wasn’t on the very first day. After three or four days had passed—and, for example, they say there are “sheikhs” and such. There are people with such beliefs. Out of desperation they even consulted them. And 80% of them were saying this: if she had passed away, I would sense it, and so on. They kept giving hope—she is alive; she is being hidden by someone and is alive.
Presiding Judge : So this red car talk, the Syrians talk, the Gypsies talk—especially what Salim alleges—these are things heard in the village; that is, you hear such things in the village and tell the gendarmerie.
Baran Güran : Yes.
Presiding Judge : Is that so?
Baran Güran : Yes, yes.
Presiding Judge : Otherwise you did not personally see anything.
Baran Güran : We did not personally witness it.
Presiding Judge : Since you conveyed every piece of information to the gendarmerie, these also came out.
Baran Güran : Indeed after I returned, I also said—why don’t we go and surround their area? Why don’t we search their cars? I said it repeatedly. Because, I mean, when one says “Syrian” today, people think…
Presiding Judge : Not people’s thoughts now. When your sister is missing. On the first day, you had not yet concluded she was dead.
Baran Güran : Yes.
Presiding Judge : It is quite natural and your human duty to look under every stone. But later these matters were considered suspicious, so we are asking you about this—how did you receive these reports?
Diyarbakır Bar Association
Law. Nahit Eren
Law. Nahit Eren : Good morning. I would like to wish everyone in the courtroom a good morning as well. Your Honor, I mentioned something yesterday before the hearing. I will make a brief introduction.
Presiding Judge : Alright.
Law. Nahit Eren : We couldn’t take the floor before the hearing. Because I want to begin by saying these to Baran. Just like to his mother. Now, while we were questioning yesterday, you were outside. You were outside. You were waiting as a witness at the door. While Salim Güran’s questioning was being conducted, I asked some things. They may be wrong, they may be incomplete. Of course we also respect the right to defense. Our colleagues are there. He said to me, “What are you after?” He asked such a question. More precisely, he reacted to my question like that. First I would like to explain what we are after. Because Baran and I were together in front of the Forensic Medicine Institute. I will come to that as well. Because I felt—and thought—that Baran too was after what I was after. That was my feeling. What am I after? Mr. Arif, please, please, I am also a father. But if I do not say this, if I do not explain this in this courtroom, it seems the dried-up consciences here will not open, will not speak. What am I after? We are people who, with three prosecutors, fourteen staff, and all the prosecutors conducting this investigation, witnessed with three masks a smell we will never forget in our lives—the state to which a child, who has the most beautiful scent in life, was brought. On the fourth day, while I was at this courthouse, do you know what one of the law enforcement officers there said to me? “That smell is still on you,” he said, Your Honor. I will never forget this in my life. That day—do you know what we are after? Today we are fighting against the state to which a child who has the most beautiful scent in life was brought; we are fighting for justice. We will fight no matter what it costs. Even if it costs us our lives, we will fight. I say this here today in this courtroom because yesterday there were those who shouted in this courtroom as well. I state once again: I am the father of three children. I am the father of three girls. I know so well what girls are. May God preserve them—you have five or six boys, you wish for a son. When my wife had her third childbirth, I did not go with her. I didn’t go, thinking it might be because of me. When she went to the doctor’s appointment—now that this one was also a girl—I am so happy. You know, we have that feeling—maybe it’s because of me; we thought the third would be a boy. We have such a sentiment. Look, we say let us also have a son. Why am I telling this, Baran? We were in front of the Forensic Medicine Institute, our prosecutors—three prosecutors—are conducting this investigation; they prepared an indictment, in one way or another, with shortcomings, good or bad. They were going to have you make an identification. I did not allow that identification. I said an elder brother should not see this child in this condition. He should not inhale this smell. Let him remain with the scent of Narin as he knew when she was small, the scent he kissed and smelled every day. You were very insistent on being shown. I came to you outside. I said, Baran, do not see—it’s better. But I am sure you too smelled the scent coming out to the outside, Baran. You smelled it, didn’t you, Baran? You did. That is why—what am I after? I am after those who caused this. The lawyers of the Diyarbakır Bar Association are after this. Sixteen lawyers, alright.
Complainant Arif Güran : He is saying things that are not understood.
Due to raised voices from defense attorneys, representatives of the complainant, relatives of the accused, and audience members, the dialogue could not be transcribed.
Law. Nahit Eren : Once again, I apologize to the family, believing that the emotional reaction we had regarding Narin stemmed from a human response. If that was the case, I apologize. Now, moving to my question. When we were in front of the Forensic Medicine Institute, we spoke with you about the burial of the body—about Narin’s burial and the need to decide where she would be buried. There was a law enforcement officer present. While sitting there, I asked you: Baran, in general, there is a widespread objection to bringing Narin back to the village for burial. Could she be buried somewhere else? What would you say to such a request? At that point, you were the only family member who was not in custody. I asked what your answer was, Baran. I’d like to hear that answer once again.
Baran Güran : From the beginning, I was going to take Narin to be buried in her own village. That was a fact. Of course, there was public reaction there. I didn’t care about that. Whatever happened, we were going to take her to her own village. But there, the prosecutor said to me, “Where?” He asked me that once or twice. “Where, where,” he said. And at that moment, I said, it’s already decided, but if you like, speak with my father. And they sent me to my father.
Law. Nahit Eren : I’m asking you to recall the exact answer you gave me to my question.
Baran Güran : I don’t remember.
Law. Nahit Eren : Where exactly? Didn’t we discuss this topic with you? You don’t remember?
Baran Güran : No. We had already said we would take Narin to the village.
Law. Nahit Eren : I’d like to remind you of something you said to me.
Baran Güran : Go ahead.
Law. Nahit Eren : Maybe you’ll remember. I said, you have uncles outside, elder family members. If you want, consult them. The respected elders of the village are here. I use the term “village” to mean family. After that, you gave me an answer.
Baran Güran : What did I say?
Law. Nahit Eren : Shall I remind you if you’d like?
Baran Güran : Yes, remind me, but I think my answer was about my father and me on this matter…
Law. Nahit Eren : You said, “No family member other than my father and me will have the right to speak.”
Baran Güran : That’s true. It’s the way it is, brother.
Law. Nahit Eren : I’d like to know what you meant by that.
Baran Güran : I’ll tell you, brother. You’re taking this completely out of context.
Law. Nahit Eren : No, no. Not at all.
Baran Güran : Brother, let me finish. You’re misunderstanding it. There, I was left completely alone. Even though my family was right outside the door, none of them were allowed inside to support me. You left a brother waiting in front of his sister for maybe more than seven hours and let no one in. I waited alone in front of the Forensic Medicine Institute. I asked for ten family members to be allowed in. You didn’t allow them even though they were at the door. At that point, as a wounded brother—and my mother, as far as I knew, had already been taken in that morning. I knew she wouldn’t be coming there. So I said, my father and I will decide on this matter. It doesn’t concern the other family members.
Law. Nahit Eren : So in that sense, you meant that as the heads of the family, only you two could decide?
Baran Güran : We didn’t say we are the family elders. We already have elders in the family. What I meant was only this: if you had brought even one of my uncles to stand with me after you left me there for six or seven hours alone…
Law. Nahit Eren : You said that earlier. When I said go outside to consult, you said that.
Baran Güran : You didn’t let me, brother.
Law. Nahit Eren : I said we could arrange that. I even said I’d speak to the prosecutors—if you wanted to meet with family outside, I said okay. Now I’ll ask one more thing, Baran, for the sake of revealing the material truth. You came to meet with us at the Bar Association twice. In the first meeting, you said you wanted the whole truth to come out. Whoever did this should be punished. You said even if it’s Nevzat or someone from our family in the village, they should be punished. And, as it wasn’t just the two of us—the board members were there too—I asked you this question, remembering those moments. The power of attorney you give us means that, at the hearing, we’ll sit side by side as complainants, but if this turns into an indictment, since your mother and brother are currently detained, they’ll be across from us. We’ll be questioning them. I asked, do you accept that, Baran? Can you repeat your answer here in the courtroom? I apologize for asking again.
It was observed that the defense counsel objected to the question without speaking into the microphone.
Presiding Judge : I accept your objection to this question. I’m skipping it, on the grounds that it pertains to a matter between two power-of-attorney relationships.
Law. Nahit Eren : There are video recordings included in the case file. We watched them. There are also recordings that were made public. There are conversations between you and your brother in prison. We listened to all of them. In those conversations, you encouraged your brother, told him to stand firm, to stay strong. I respect that. But one thing caught my attention, and I want to ask about it. Your brother keeps asking you about the camera. You say, “Yes, it was found, it’s out.” He says, “There are two people,” and you say, “Yes.” But I didn’t see any such camera footage in the file. Did you actually see this footage somewhere? Because we were working together to uncover the truth. If such footage exists, where did you see it? And how did you come into contact with this evidence that you could bring it before the court?
Baran Güran : First of all, there were tons of false reports circulating on social media. Later, an explanation was made. I saw it on social media. They said there were two dark figures seen on the Kartal Eye camera at the military base area. We thought maybe there were two people. Second, my brother is eighteen years old. He’s never been inside a police station in his life. Same for my mother. They’re not in a position to defend themselves. If you had listened to all of my brother’s conversations, you would understand what I meant. Most likely not all of them were included.
Law. Nahit Eren : I listened to all of them.
Baran Güran : Oh. Then you’d know—I repeatedly said, Enes meant that once the footage came out, everything would be revealed. “We’re happy,” he said. “Hopefully,”—may I finish, brother?
Law. Nahit Eren : I’m not asking about your comment. I’m asking whether you had access to such evidence. Did you?
Baran Güran : No, they were false reports on social media.
Law. Nahit Eren : You saw it on social media.
Baran Güran : Yes, and there were also those other videos of me and my father that spread widely. We don’t even know who shared them. After all, we were talking on the phone. Besides, he’s an eighteen-year-old boy and in prison.
Law. Nahit Eren : That’s not what I’m asking.
Baran Güran : We were just trying to comfort him.
Law. Nahit Eren : You’re right about that. I’m not criticizing that. I said that already.
Baran Güran : He was told to stand tall, and the reason was this: “Stand tall. God is great.” Because a slander had been thrown upon him. Sooner or later the truth will come out. Just because he’s imprisoned, should we abandon our brother?
Law. Nahit Eren : That’s not what I asked.
Presiding Judge : Alright, alright. He gave more than enough of an answer. That’s fine.
Law. Nahit Eren : Your Honor, that was all I wanted to ask. Thank you. Once again, if I have hurt anyone emotionally or spiritually, I apologize again. Truly, I apologize.
Presiding Judge : Everyone calm down now. From this point on, we go straight to questions. Otherwise, I’ll do what I mentioned before. It’s something I hate to do, but don’t force me to do it. Let’s continue properly. And let me remind you again, Baran — for self-incriminating questions, I will intervene. You may also say, “I do not wish to answer.” Saying that does not mean you are lying or anything else. Since the entire family has suspect status, I will intervene—but there might be moments I miss something. You have the right not to answer any question, especially self-incriminating ones. That is a clear legal right.
Law. Aydın Özdemir
Law. Aydın Özdemir : Mr. Baran, as far as you remember, on the day of the incident when did you first realize your sister was missing? When did you start searching? Do you remember?
Baran Güran : I learned what time she went missing a day or two later. Because—according to the school camera in the village, she was last seen at 3:15. After that, no one saw her. So I only learned this later by relying on the camera footage. It was around the third day of the incident.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : Around what time did you start searching? As far as you remember?
Baran Güran : The first day?
Law. Aydın Özdemir : The first day, yes.
Baran Güran : As soon as I arrived in the village.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : About what time? Can you give an hour, or not?
Baran Güran : Toward the evening, I don’t remember.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : You don’t remember.
Baran Güran : If I said now, it would be a lie.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : Well, at 20:43 on the day of the incident you made a report. You called and said, “We’ve been searching for five hours and can’t find her.” By the time you made the report, had about five hours passed—as far as you recall?
Baran Güran : By the time I learned of it, that much time hadn’t passed. The reason I said that is that in such cases they usually arrive late. I said it on purpose—said she’d been missing for a long time, for many hours—so the necessary personnel would come sooner. Otherwise, if I’m not mistaken, my uncle Kurtuluş was having dinner when my brother called me. From the time I made that call, either an hour had passed or it hadn’t.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : About an hour had passed.
Baran Güran : Either it had or it hadn’t.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : But your statement clearly says, “We’ve been searching for five hours and can’t find her.”
Baran Güran : The only reason I said that was just to get them there as soon as possible—
Presiding Judge : Alright, alright.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : Again—have him explain once more.
Presiding Judge : He explained; I heard it.
Law. Aydın Özdemir : Have him explain again.
Presiding Judge : No, no, he already explained it a moment ago.
Baran Güran : If I had said she’d been missing for an hour, they might have said, “Maybe she’s around here somewhere.” With that in mind, I said she’d been missing a long time. That was the purpose.
Presiding Judge : Alright, you already said that—twice. Counsel may not have heard.
Defense Counsels for Yüksel Güran
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : Right before the incident, did you hear that Nevzat gave Narin some allowance money?
Baran Güran : I heard it a few times in the village. Even villagers were swearing about it. I don’t remember exactly who, but they said despite having four or five kids, he only gave money to Narin.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : Only to Narin.
Baran Güran : Only to Narin.
Presiding Judge : You heard this from villagers. Yes. Like when you said you heard about the Gypsies—from villagers, right?
Baran Güran : But I think it was my uncle Barış’s daughter who said it, as far as I remember.
Presiding Judge : Your uncle Barış’s daughter said that?
Baran Güran : She’s young too, one of Narin’s close friends. Alright, I don’t remember exactly though.
Presiding Judge : I’m just asking out of curiosity, by name.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : So, among that group of kids, he gave money only to Narin, right? Yes. Thank you. Now, was there any tension or argument between your father and Nevzat over a vehicle transaction? Did you witness anything?
Baran Güran : Yes, I did. I was there.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : What happened?
Baran Güran : There was some damage. My father explained it calmly to Nevzat at first, saying there’s this issue. He supposedly said he was afraid of us—people say that. Then in my uncle’s house, he raised his voice and said, “I won’t pay, I don’t accept it.” Then my father said, “You’re saying that?” He called two older men from the village—said, “Come, you’re elders, you decide.” Nevzat began stammering there, saying, “I don’t know.” Then my father got angry. He said, “I won’t hit you, but you will pay this money.” They argued there. I was going to step in, but my father stopped me.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : Did you say anything to him?
Baran Güran : No, I didn’t. But I was about to react, because he was speaking disrespectfully to my father. When my father reacted, I stayed silent and left.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : Do you think Nevzat could have done this to Narin because of that argument?
Baran Güran : He could have. Because, let me put it this way: he is so cold-blooded, so calm—as if he’s committed fifty murders—acting as though nothing happened.
Law. Yılmaz Demiroğlu : Alright, thank you.
Presiding Judge : Thank you. Alright, next please.
Law. Tuncay Erkuş
Law. Tuncay Erkuş : Mr. Baran, the day after little Narin disappeared, your aunt’s son Muhammed Kaya found a slipper. A photo of this slipper was sent to you. He asked you to show it to your family. Can you tell us what you know about this slipper incident?
Baran Güran : We were at home, sitting on the balcony. Around that time, it was either Muhammed or Osman—I’m pretty sure it was Muhammed—he sent me a picture. He said, “Look at this slipper, we found it on the road. Show it to your mother to see if it’s hers or not. Could it belong to Narin or not?” I showed it to my mother. My mother said, “That’s Narin’s slipper.” We immediately jumped up. We went straight to where the Gypsies were. The military personnel had surrounded the whole area. We started searching there.
Law. Tuncay Erkuş : Yes. Also, we want to ask this: you said you hurt yourself when you learned about the incident, and your brother Enes hurt himself by biting his arm and hitting his face. Did any of your other siblings hurt themselves too? I mean, did any of them throw things, or break down emotionally—so upset they didn’t know what they were doing? Anyone?
Baran Güran : Osman broke his phone. I broke glasses several times. Honestly, I even hit my head against the wall more than once.
Law. Tuncay Erkuş : Of course, because of the shock of the event.
Baran Güran : Because of the shock. I broke my own phone too. Just so my mother wouldn’t be upset. Even before this man was handed over, I would get up at night, go to the roof, and cry alone—so no one would hear, so my mother and father wouldn’t be upset. They’re very attached to us. That’s why I hurt myself during those times.
Presiding Judge : Baran, you said Nevzat gave money. You said Nevzat is very cold-blooded, could commit a murder, and go on with life as if nothing happened. Why didn’t you suspect him when he gave that money then?
Baran Güran : Because, Your Honor, it’s a village environment. For example, even now, if someone in the village gave some money to my younger sibling, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Presiding Judge : Right. You wouldn’t be surprised. Quite normal.
Baran Güran : Everyone is like an uncle in the village. Our village has a large population.
Presiding Judge : And I wasn’t surprised either. That’s why I didn’t focus on it much—until you said he’s very cold-blooded, could commit murder, and act like nothing happened. That’s why I’m asking you now. Normally, I wouldn’t find the money thing strange. Sometimes we say, “You survived trouble today.” In our religious belief, giving charity averts misfortune. Maybe he thought, “Let me make a few children happy today so misfortune will pass.” That’s from our belief. But since you said he’s that cold-blooded, that’s why I’m asking you this now. Notice, I didn’t ask such a question at first.
Baran Güran : Yes, that’s right, Your Honor. He himself said in his statement that it was the first time he committed a murder. I mean, how can a person not panic? How can a person not be afraid? How could he come every night, sit with my father, drink tea with us?
Presiding Judge : But Baran, he doesn’t say, “I committed a murder.” He says, “I destroyed the body.”
Baran Güran : I think he’s lying, Your Honor.
Presiding Judge : Alright. Of course, let’s proceed. You may introduce yourself and ask your question.
Defense Counsel for Enes Güran
Law. Recep Kızılok
Law. Recep Kızılok : First, my condolences. When did you see Enes on the day of the incident?
Baran Güran : I came in the evening that day. I don’t remember exactly what time because everything was hectic—he came to the hospital. That day, there was a report of a child resembling Narin at the public hospital—an unattended child. I clearly remember that part, but not the rest.
Law. Recep Kızılok : Did Enes seem anxious or panicked? Did you sense anything unusual?
Baran Güran : We were crying together.
Law. Recep Kızılok : You were crying together. Did you notice any bruises on his face or bite marks on his arm?
Baran Güran : No.
Law. Recep Kızılok : You didn’t notice anything, right? Okay, thank you.
Presiding Judge : Thank you.
Law. Onur Akdağ : Your Honor, since we are last to ask questions, for the sake of fairness, could the defense begin first next time?
Presiding Judge : Alright. Agreed. You’ll go first next.
Law. Mustafa Demir : I’ll ask a question related to the previous one. We learned that Enes went to the hospital that day. The court requested the CCTV footage from Memorial Hospital. The hospital sent only one camera recording. And we had some bad luck again—like everything else. As we explained yesterday, there are several cameras viewing that area. But no time synchronization was done between those cameras.
Presiding Judge : Yes, direct your question.
Law. Mustafa Demir
Law. Mustafa Demir : Yes, the question. In this footage, is the person shown his father?
Presiding Judge : Go ahead. You may approach the witness. Yes, come closer—you can ask near the witness. We placed the microphone there; don’t misunderstand. Counsel, please move here. Yes, here.
Law. Mustafa Demir : He already said—it was his father.
Presiding Judge : I didn’t hear. Ah, let me show you too. May I have the photo? Yes. He has the CCTV footage from Memorial Hospital. The family members haven’t seen it. Alright. The defense counsel asked whether the person in the ambulance footage from Memorial, wearing a white t-shirt, was his father. Baran said it was his father. Yes. In the court’s viewing, the person in question was observed to resemble Arif Güran. Proceed.
Law. Mustafa Demir : Did Enes have any bruises around his eyes that day?
Baran Güran : No, I didn’t see any.
Defense Counsel for Salim Güran
Law. Onur Akdağ
Law. Onur Akdağ : There’s a rumor that Ali Rıza Güran made a settlement offer to the Bahtiyar family on your behalf. Did you or your family, or your father, ever ask Ali Rıza Güran to do such a thing? Did you talk to him about it? Or is he someone who could do such a thing?
Baran Güran : My sister would never do something like that.
Law. Onur Akdağ : Alright. After the incident, what was Salim Güran’s mental state like? Was he sad, emotional? Did you ever suspect him? Did he take an active part in the search efforts?
Baran Güran : Salim Güran is my uncle. During that period, he was with the gendarmerie 24/7. He’d often come back at four in the morning. He was out at dawn, and we’d search together until evening. The gendarmerie never left his side.
Law. Onur Akdağ : Had Salim Güran ever hit Enes before? I mean before the incident. Being his uncle, maybe if Enes misbehaved—had he ever hit him?
Baran Güran : If he misbehaved, an uncle’s scolding is normal. He’s an uncle after all. But I personally never saw it.
Law. Onur Akdağ : So does Salim Güran have a habit of hitting his nephews? Does he hit them?
Baran Güran : God is my witness, no.
Law. Onur Akdağ : Now, let’s imagine this: there are three men in a room, and it’s said that your uncle was with your mother. Because of that relationship, your sister Narin is killed. You know Enes—how would he react to his uncle in that situation?
Baran Güran : He would have shot him in the head. If he’d had a gun, he’d have shot him in the head.
Law. Onur Akdağ : Besides that, would Enes ever protect his uncle—hide him—even though his sister was killed?
Baran Güran : Never. If Enes had seen Salim Güran and Nevzat there, even without a gun, he would have stabbed them.