Killing of environmentalist couple to be taken to Constitutional Court

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The trial over the killing of Ali Ulvi and Aysin Büyüknohutçu will be taken to the Constitutional Court, their daughter has announced.

The environmentalist couple were known for their struggle against the marble quarries in Antalya's Finike district in southern Turkey. They were found dead in their mountain house on May 9, 2017.

Emine Büyüknohutçu, the daughter of the couple, and lawyer Tuncay Koç have indicated that the right to a fair trial has been violated and there has been a desire to cover up the murder. Accordingly, they have stated that they will take the file to Turkey's top court:

"The couple of Ali Ulvi and Aysin Büyüknohutçu were found dead in their house in the Kızılcık Highland on May 9, 2017. A person named Ali Yamuç was detained and arrested three days later.

"Yamuç pleaded guilty for the murder and said that he did it for money. A week later, it turned out that he had written a letter to his wife. Written in the name of Ali Yamuç and signed by him, the letter accused the owner of the marble quarry and said: 'Make the payment that you promised to me. You said, 'Kill [them], we will give you your money immediately'. Why do you wait now? We will see what will happen if my money does not come in 10 days. Your ropes are in your pockets; you must know that.'

"Because of this letter, Fatma Yamuç was also arrested on charge of participating in the murder. However, the investigation was not deepened. It was not revealed with whom Ali Yamuç was in contact, if he is the real murderer. The cell phone records were not investigated."

What happened?

Ali Ulvi Büyüknohutçu was the spokesperson of the Taurus and Mediterranean Coasts Environment Association Platform for Combating Stone Quarries. Working against quarries in the region, the couple ensured the closure of a quarry by taking legal action.

Gendarmerie found them dead on May 9, 2017, and detained Ali Yamuç, who lives in the same area.

He told the gendarmerie that he was unemployed and killed the two people for taking money from their house.

He changed his statement at the prosecutor's office on May 18 and said a man nicknamed "Çirkin" (Ugly) offered him money for the killing. He confessed that he killed the couple and made it look like a robbery.

Fatma Yamuç was arrested on May 19 for "aiding and abetting a crime." She said that she had seen the car of the person nicknamed "Çirkin" around their house and she had learned of the killings after they had happened.

Ali Yamuç committed suicide in prison; with his death, the trial over the couple's murder dropped. Fatma Yamuç was acquitted.

The file is now pending at the Court of Cassation. (RT/SD)