Istanbul prosecutor seeks 18-year jail term for murder suspects of Serbian fan

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Marko Ivkovic, 25, was stabbed to death in clashes between Red Star and Galatasaray supporters ahead of a Euroleague basketball game in Istanbul on Nov. 21.

An Istanbul prosecutor has demanded an 18-year jail term for Kadri Aktaş, who is accused of killing Red Star fan Marko Ivkovic ahead of a Euroleague basketball game in the city, along with six others allegedly involved in the murder.

The prosecutor said in the indictment finalized on Jan. 7 that the case was a “deliberate murder,” while also demanding a cut in the sentence for “unjust provocation.”

Ivkovic, the 25-year-old Red Star fan, was stabbed to death in clashes with Galatasaray supporters before the match on Nov. 21. The incident caused uproar in Serbia and calls for revenge from some fan groups, while also creating concerns about future matches between Turkish and Serbian teams.  

The indictments said fan groups of both teams had begun gathering at spots around the Abdi İpekçi Stadium in Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu district, where many were drinking alcohol. As fans of both teams clashed before the game, Red Star fans used torches, fireworks and sticks while Glatarasaray fans used bottles and sticks.

Sports event police, backed by riot police, used tear gas to disperse the clashes before a small group of Serbian fans lost contact with their acquaintances, it also said.

A group including arrested suspect Aktaş, along with others Volkan Sarı, Serhan Yücel Aydoğmuş, Çağatay Hız, Atakan Bodan, Gökhan Yıldız and Yusuf Velioğlu, attacked Serbian fans, the indictment stated.

“Marko Ivkovic punched and injured Kadri Aktaş on the nose as Aktaş was approaching him with a knife that could not be seized after the incident. Aktaş killed the slain man with intent by stabbing him, under provocation,” it said, adding that Ivkovic’s bloodstains were found on the trousers of Aktaş.

The remaining suspects abetted the murder, it also stated.

The hearings will take place at a Bakırköy High Criminal Court, and the Serbian Consulate to Istanbul is also a complainant in the case.