Defendant gets 34 life sentences for suicide bombing in Turkey’s Suruc

By Rauf Maltas

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - The defendant in a suicide bombing in the Suruc district in Turkey’s southeastern Sanliurfa province was given on Friday a life sentence with 34 aggravated life sentences -- one for each life lost.

The ruling in the case at the Hilvan Hearing Hall of the 5th Criminal Court of Sanliurfa was attended by relatives of those killed in the attack and 32 lawyers involved in the case.

Defendant Yakup Sahin claimed he had no connection to the attack He attended the hearing through the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBIS) and reiterated his defense, which he repeated by not admitting the charges.

Defense lawyers argued that the hearing could not be held fairly and demanded a renewal of the ruling.

Gendarmerie teams were in the courtroom for about half an hour to ensure security in the chamber where tensions ran high occasionally.

During the hearing, which lasted about 10 hours, the court listened to victims and lawyers individually before announcing its decision.

Sahin was sentenced 34 times for aggravated life imprisonment and 70 times for 27 years in prison. He also has to pay a fine of 40,000 Turkish lira ($4,160) for "premeditated human slaughter and attempted murder" due to the 34 killed and 70 others who were wounded in the attack in 2015.

The court also filed criminal charges against Koray Turkay, Sahin Tumcuk, Cagla Sevin, Fethi Aydin and lawyer Sezin Ucar, who participated in the hearing, for "insulting and threatening the court" at the hearing.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group in 2013.

The country has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists multiple times. The terror group has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

*Writing by Merve Berker