Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit Şenyaşar were taken into custody on Wednesday during a "vigil for justice" in front of the party headquarters of the AKP. They had previously requested a meeting with the chairman of the provincial office of the Turkish ruling party. As a result, anti-terrorist police officers moved in and handcuffed the 70-year-old and her son. Both of them refused to testify to the police.

Emine Şenyaşar is the widow of Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar. The businessman was killed in June 2018, just a few days before the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey, during an election campaign tour of former AKP deputy Ibrahim Halil Yıldız, accompanied by armed bodyguards. Emine Şenyaşar’ sons Adil and Celal Şenyaşar were also murdered. Fadıl Şenyaşar, another brother who was seriously injured in the attack, has been in custody for two and a half years.

Only one person has been arrested so far: Enver Yıldız, brother of AKP politician Ibrahim Halil Yıldız, who, accompanied by around 50 members of his tribe, went to the Palace of Justice under police protection before he was arrested. The public prosecutor brought charges - albeit one and a half years after the crime - but Enver Yıldız will only be imprisoned for a maximum of twelve years for a “minor case of manslaughter”. In contrast, Fadıl Şenyaşar faces a 150-year prison sentence for murder and attempted murder in eight cases.

From now on, Emine and Ferit Şenyaşar have to report to the Turkish authorities twice a month. If they fail to comply with the reporting requirements, they face imprisonment.

Pirsûs massacre

The People's Democratic Party (HDP) recorded what happened in Pirsûs on 14 June 2018, in an investigation report issued a few days after the massacre. “The AKP candidate Yıldız and his relatives went to the Şenyaşar family's shop. A verbal argument turned into a shootout. The brothers Adil, Celal and Ferit Şenyaşar were attacked by the AKP candidate Yıldız and his men with pistols and long guns.

Hospital killings

Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar's two sons, Adil and Celal Şenyaşar, injured in the attack, were admitted into emergencies at Suruç State Hospital. Another son was taken to the Balıklıgöl State Hospital in the center of the provincial capital, Urfa. Hacı Esvet Senyaşar himself went to the Suruç hospital on foot.

At the instigation of the AKP candidate, relatives of Ibrahim Halil Yıldız first destroyed the surveillance cameras at the hospital and then killed one of Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar's sons in the emergencies. Another son was murdered outside Suruç State Hospital. Hacı Esvet Senyaşar was seriously injured after being hit on the head with an oxygen cylinder and was admitted to the hospital on 25 December in Antep City. Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar died on 15 June while his sons were buried in Pirsûs."

Shocking autopsy report

The autopsy report also made the extent of the massacre clear. During an external examination of Celal Şenyaşar's body, forensic medicine found bullets fired from at least six firearms of different caliber. The first bullet was already fatal. The examination of the entry and exit wounds on the body showed that the shots were fired from close range.

The statement of a medical expert quoted on the cause of death in the report reads: "The death of the person occurred due to a splinter fracture of the thighbones from the projectile of a gun and the associated severe internal bleeding from the injury to the vein."

During the external examination of his brother Adil Şenyaşar, cuts and stab wounds as well as marks caused by hard objects were found in 14 parts of the body. The majority of the 14 injuries were serious injuries, according to forensic medicine. The report said that Şenyaşar was exposed to extreme violence. The autopsy found seventeen bullets of various calibers in his body. Of these projectiles, five were fatal.

The doctors wrote down the cause of death as: “Injuries from firearm projectiles broke the collarbone, ribs, vertebrae and pelvis, and damaged certain internal organs. Internal bleeding occurred which led to death."

Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar killed with cutting tools

When he learned that his sons had been attacked, Hacı Esvet Senyaşar rushed to the hospital in Pirsûs. There he was lynched by a mob and hit with heavy objects, as reported by eyewitnesses. During his autopsy, the doctors found extensive cuts in seven vital areas. In addition to these seven serious injuries, another 23 non-fatal injuries were found on the body of the murdered person. The report mentions in particular severe brain injuries due to skull fractures, internal bleeding from injuries to internal organs and an injury to the lungs (pneumothorax) as causes of death.