Tension high at Istanbul trial into murder of woman in anti-terror raid

ISTANBUL

CİHAN photo

Tensions ran high on Feb. 17 during the first hearing in the trial of a police officer charged with killing of a young woman during an anti-terror raid on her house, as police officers detained 22 protesters in front of the courthouse.

The special operations police officer, identified only by the initials Y.M., is charged with shooting dead Dilek Doğan, 25, during an “anti-terror” raid on her house.

The trial got underway amid a heavy security presence at the Istanbul courthouse with Dilek Doğan’s mother, father and brother all present.

At least 22 people were detained as police used water cannon to break up a group of supporters of the family who sought to enter the courthouse without authorization.

The prosecutor demanded 26.5 years in jail for Y.M.

Dilek Doğan was shot at her home in Sarıyer on Oct. 18, 2015 during a police raid, before succumbing to her injuries on Oct. 25, 2015. 

Istanbul police conducted operations on Oct. 18, 2015 at 16 addresses to purportedly apprehend alleged suicide bomber H.R.K., a member of the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) in Istanbul’s Küçükarmutlu neighborhood.

One of the sites raided by police was the Doğan family’s home in Küçükarmutlu. While policemen were searching the home, Y.M. allegedly shot Dilek Doğan with his rifle at the entrance after she insisted that officers put on galoshes to avoid dirtying the floor.  

Doğan’s parents say their daughter was killed after the policeman drew his weapon when she told the anti-terror squad to put on galoshes.

The police officer claimed in his testimony that the gun was fired in a scuffle after the family tried to snatch it away.

A separate investigation has been launched into Dilek Doğan’s father Metin, her mother Aysel, and her brother Mehmet, on accusations of impeding the police officers in their work during the raid.