Rabia Çetin
The family and lawyers of Hakan Tosun—a journalist and video activist who was killed on the night of Oct. 10 in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul—voiced strong concerns over shortcomings in the ongoing investigation, stating that the majority of their legal requests have been ignored.
At a press conference held at the Istanbul Bar Association, Tosun family lawyers Hakan Bozyurt, Onur Cingil, Sevim Dönmez, and Seher Dursun shared updates on the case. Representatives from human rights organizations and several journalists were also present.
Lawyers Bozyurt and Cingil said that out of the 25 motions they had submitted so far, only three or four were acted upon, highlighting persistent ambiguities in the investigation despite their legal efforts.
Lawyers fear witness may have fled
Attorney Onur Cingil explained that they had specifically requested that Y.Ö.—a person initially questioned as a witness—be re-interviewed as a suspect and taken into custody, but that request had not been granted. “There is a possibility that this individual has fled,” Cingil warned.
He also noted inconsistencies in official records, pointing out that while a detention order was reportedly issued on Oct. 11, the suspects were not actually detained until Oct. 12. “We don’t know what happened between the time the police received the order and when the suspects were detained,” he said.
Only 3 of 25 pieces of requested evidence collected
Cingil raised concerns about the potential destruction or loss of key evidence. “There are no photographs from the crime scene in the case file. Of the 25 pieces of evidence we requested in two separate petitions, only three have been collected,” he said.
He added that no action has been taken regarding 17 separate security camera recordings identified in the area, raising the risk that the footage may be deleted. While the HTS (historical traffic search) data for Tosun’s phone has been obtained, the same data for the suspects and their associates has not, he said.
Cingil also claimed that although police stated they had reviewed 256 GB of footage, only a 10-minute unedited segment was shared with the lawyers. “The footage we received is incomplete and unprocessed,” he added.
He further noted that people seen in the footage, as well as individuals who called emergency services (112) on the night of the incident and those allegedly on the same bus as Tosun, were never interviewed as witnesses.
“We requested that these individuals be questioned, but this too was denied. So far, statements have only been taken from 11 people: the two suspects, a third person listed as a witness, the police officers who arrived at the scene, and the emergency medical staff who responded to Hakan,” he said.
Prosecutor accused of misrepresenting case focus
Cingil criticized a recent written response from the prosecutor to a parliamentary question submitted by a member of the opposition Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi). According to Cingil, the response diverted attention away from the crime scene and instead focused on Tosun’s behavior and lifestyle, including where he boarded or exited the bus that night.
“This is an attempt to frame the case incorrectly,” Cingil said. “Moreover, information not included in the case file was presented to Parliament as if it reflected the prosecutor’s official findings. For example, it was claimed that an altercation took place on the bus—but there’s no witness to that, only the suspects’ statements. This approach undermines the possibility of treating the case as an organized crime.”
"We are aware of the slander against Hakan"
Lawyer Hakan Bozyurt began his remarks by emphasizing that “every new piece of evidence can change the direction of the case.”
“We will continue asking what happened to Hakan and who is behind the structure operating in the area where the attack occurred,” Bozyurt said. “We are fully aware of the slander being spread about Hakan in an attempt to steer the investigation, but we will move forward based on concrete evidence.”
Tosun’s death sparked widespread attention in Turkey, particularly among journalist and activist circles. Esenyurt, where the killing occurred, is a densely populated district on the European side of Istanbul, known for its diverse population and complex social dynamics. The lack of progress in the investigation has drawn criticism from rights organizations and press freedom advocates.
