Ceremonies remember assassinated journalist Uğur Mumcu

Ceremonies remember assassinated journalist Uğur Mumcu

ANKARA
Ceremonies remember assassinated journalist Uğur MumcuCeremonies remember assassinated journalist Uğur Mumcu

Commemorative ceremonies were held across Türkiye on Jan. 24 to mark the 32nd anniversary of journalist Uğur Mumcu’s assassination, as questions about his murder remain unresolved.

Mumcu, a prominent journalist, researcher and writer, was killed in 1993 when a bomb planted under his car exploded outside his home in Ankara.

Hundreds gathered on the street named after Mumcu in the capital, where flowers were laid, candles lit and a moment of silence observed in his memory. Among those attending were main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

Another ceremony was held outside Mumcu's house in the Aegean city of Balıkesir's Ayvalık district.

Despite numerous theories, Mumcu's assassination remains unsolved. The legal process is ongoing, tied to a broader class-action lawsuit concerning a series of unsolved murders.

During a Jan. 16 hearing, an Ankara court ordered testimony from Mehmet Ağar, a former police chief, interior minister and justice minister, as part of the investigation.

The case is linked to a 2000 raid on a Hezbollah-affiliated house in Istanbul, which uncovered evidence related to 22 unsolved killings, including Mumcu's.

Prosecutors allege the murders were carried out by individuals connected to Islamist organizations with assistance from Iranian intelligence.

While several defendants received prison sentences during proceedings that concluded in 2014, the case against Oğuz Demir, accused of planting the bomb, remains open.

Demir, born in 1971, has been on the run since escaping a police operation in Ankara in 2000. He is listed in the "red category" on the Interior Ministry's most-wanted list.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 12.