MERSİN - Hüseyin Kanlıbıçak was sentenced to 22 years and 3 months in prison for the murder of Baran Abdî during a protest in Tarsus against attacks on Rojava.

 

The second hearing in the case of Hüseyin Kanlıbıçak, who murdered Baran Abdî during a protest against attacks on Rojava, was held at the Tarsus 3rd High Criminal Court.

 

The hearing was attended by Abdî’s family, their lawyers, the detained perpetrator Hüseyin Kanlıbıçak, relatives of the defendant and their lawyers, as well as representatives from the Mersin provincial and Tarsus district branches of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

 

The hearing began with the identification of those present, after which the prosecutor reiterated the previous opinion on the case. Kanlıbıçak was the first to address the court and said he stood by his earlier defence. 

 

Muhammed Abdî said he had filed a complaint against the perpetrator who killed his son and requested that he receive the harshest possible sentence.

 

The lawyers representing Kanlıbıçak then addressed the court, claiming that their client had acted in self-defence on the night of the incident, that he was protecting his child and wife from the protesters, and that he had no intention of committing "intentional killing.”

 

Lawyers for the family of Baran Abdî argued that the incident could not be considered an act of self-defence, and that the defendant’s statements were aimed at avoiding responsibility for the crime. They said Kanlıbıçak had acted with direct intent when he opened fire and requested that he be punished for "intentional killing.”

 

After hearing the defence statements, the court found Kanlıbıçak guilty of "intentional killing with possible intent" and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, along with an additional 2 years and 3 months for "possession of an unlicensed firearm." The court also ruled that he would remain in detention.