Feminist lawyers of Dina's case: 'There has not been an effective investigation'

The first trial for the murder of Gabonese university student Jeannah Dinabongho Ibouanga, whose lifeless body was found in Filyos Creek on the Zonguldak-Karabük road, is taking place today.

In the trial held at the Karabük High Criminal Court, Ibouanga's family is represented by lawyers from the Feminists for Dina group.

According to the indictment prepared by the Karabük Prosecutor's Office, Dursun A. faces charges of "intentional homicide," with a request for aggravated life imprisonment, and "sexual abuse," with a request for a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

At the beginning of the trial, the court clerk attempted to search the journalists covering the case and instructed them not to use their phones. Journalists refused the search.

Identity checks were conducted on lawyers, and their requests to participate were recorded. The Ankara Bar Association submitted a request to participate in the trial.

Dursun A.: "I could not think of calling the police"

The defendant Dursun A. attended the trial via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), andthe trial commenced after confirming his identity.

Before proceeding with Dursun A.'s interrogation, lawyers representing Dina spoke, saying, "It is part of the right to defense for them to be here. We want him to be here."

Then the questioning of Dursun A. began, and the defendant said the following:

"I left my house. I told my wife, 'I'm going to buy cigarettes.' Then, as I was heading to the secondary road, the girl jumped in front of me. She said, 'hospital, hospital' to me. I asked, 'What happened?' She said, 'My sister beat me.' She got into the back seat of my car. My intention was to take her to the hospital. I wanted to take her to the main hospital. I was driving, and I stopped at the traffic lights in the Yeşil Mahalle area. She kept speaking in a foreign language. She asked for my phone, saying, 'abi, phone, phone.' I gave her my phone. She didn't speak on the phone. I continued on my way. I went about 150 meters, and she opened the back door of my car. She was speaking in a foreign language. There was blood on her face and hands. She tried to get out of the car. I stopped. I tried to close the door of my car, and during this, the girl had crossed to the other side. I continued on my way. When I reached the terminal, I called the police commissioner. He is my nephew's friend. I continued on my way. My intention was to inform the commissioner that a girl got into my car, and I was taking her to the hospital. Then I continued on my way. I waited for her to come back in front of me in case she did. I lit a cigarette. She didn't come, I didn't see her. I went home later. My sister called me, and I went to her place. Because I couldn't understand what she was saying, I looked in the rearview mirror. My only intention was to take her to the hospital. I had no physical contact with her. I didn't try to touch her. I didn't say anything verbally. My only intention was to take her to the hospital. I was trying to understand what happened to this girl."

When the judge asked, "Why didn't you inform the police station?" the defendant Dursun A. replied, "I couldn't understand what was happening, so I continued on my way. I didn't know what to do. It didn't occur to me to call the police again."

Judge to suspect: "There are contradictions in your statement"

Upon the defendant Dursun A.'s statement, "I saw on television that this girl had died. However, I didn't realize it was the girl who got into my car. I understood it when the police came to my door," the presiding judge remarked, "In your initial statement, you didn't mention some things. There are some contradictions."

In response to this, Dursun A. stated, "I was just fulfilling my civic duty; I had no other intentions. I was going to take her to the doctor. I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't anticipate that this girl would die. I was saddened by her death. I didn't want her to die; I tried to help."

Lawyer of suspect: "Samet Ç. should be investigated"

Dursun A.'s lawyer, Yusuf Çolak, stated that his client did not accept the accusation against him and said the following:

"We are sorry. Maybe it was suicide, maybe an accident, whoever is responsible should be found. Dina wanted to send a phone call from the PTT, and we are sorry for that. She said the phone went to the wrong address. We understand that her psychology was affected due to the problems she experienced here. There is a person named Samet Ç. We know that Dina asked him for help. We also know that he later messaged Dina. We understand that Dina met someone and was offered a sexual relationship. We understand that this person is Samet Ç. We do not accept the accusation against my client. Samet persistently pursued Dina. This matter needs to be investigated."

In addition, lawyer Çolak claimed that Dina had "psychological problems" and "issues with her boyfriend," stating, "We believe that Dursun A. had no involvement in Dina's death and at the same time, we think he witnessed that he was harmed."

Lawyers request on-site inspection

Dina's family lawyers also requested an on-site inspection of the crime scene. An attorney representing the Ministry of Family and Social Services also requested to join the case and said, "In light of the defendant's statement about his interest in black women, we want an investigation into whether the defendant would help if a man blocked his vehicle."

Interim decision on requests to join the case 

The court panel accepted the request of the Ministry of Family and Social Services to join the case, but they rejected the request from Ankara Bar Association.

Lawyer Aktepe: "There was no effective investigation"

Dina's family lawyer, Gülyeter Aktepe, pointed out inconsistencies in the defendant's statements, stating, "There are inconsistencies in his chronological accounts. He claims to have called the same number four times, but there is no record of such calls."

Lawyer Yeter said the following:

“It is being claimed that a woman seeking help made a hospital choice. Why did Dina, who jumped in front of the car asking for help, get out of the car? We also claim that the investigation was not conducted effectively. We suspect that she wanted to get out of the car due to some action by the defendant, and we have doubts about this. There is no record in the search logs of him calling the police or a commissioner named Cem. There are HTS records showing that Samet Ç. and Dursun A. were at the same place, but this has not been any investigation conducted regarding this. What happened inside the suspect's car? I remind you that the defendant stated that he was attracted to black women. The investigation was not carried out effectively. There is a strong suspicion of the crime. We request the continuation of the detention."

First witness:"Two people were waiting for Dina"

Two black witnesses have been heard with the help of a translator. 

"I wasn't in the same building. I saw Dina running. I was in the other house that overlooks the street. She was just running. There was no one following her. I don't know Gabonese Dina or her friends. Dina was waiting for two people. When they saw me, they got in the car and left."

Second witness: "I saw two men running"

The second witness stated that she heard Dina's screams, called the police, and then saw Dina manage to escape. However, she also saw two men running after her:

"I could see the balcony. I realized that a girl wanted to get out because of her voice. She was screaming. She was trying to open the window. I said, 'Are you going to let the girl go, or should I call the police?' I couldn't see how many people were inside. I saw one of them moving the girl away from the window. There was silence for a while. Then I heard her scream again. I shouted, 'let her go,' but they didn't. I called the police. I indicated that I was calling the police from the balcony, and they let the girl go. Then, she jumped over the iron railings from our apartment's garden to the garden of the opposite building. Her pants were torn. I asked, 'Shall I come?' She said, 'No.' She went to the neighboring building. She went out to the street, hesitated. She couldn't decide which way to go, her slippers fell. She ran barefoot away. It was dark, one person passed. One man was running after Dina. He was a middle-aged white man. I saw two men running. I saw them in a hurry. I called the police and waited for them to come."

Intensive security measures around courthouse

The case is being followed by Dina's friends, Feminists for Dina, black students studying at Karabük University, as well as HEDEP İstanbul Member of Parliament Özgül Saki, the Equal Rights Monitoring Association and Refugee Rights Center of the Ankara Bar Association.

Intensive security measures were noticeable around the courthouse, and women were screened at the checkpoint before being allowed into the courthouse.

Following the discovery of Dina's lifeless body on March 26, 2023, an investigation into her "suspicious death" was initiated. During the investigation, teams reviewed security camera footage and determined that Dina had exited a car on the main road, ran into the bushes, returned to the car after a while, and subsequently, the car also moved towards the bushes.

The indictment prepared by the Karabük Prosecutor's Office established that Dina fled from the car of 55-year-old Dursun A. after a sexual assault, and as a result of A.'s persistent pursuit, Dina fell into the stream. (EMK/PE)