In Şirnex (Şırnak) and its districts, which have been turned into a centre of special war policies, new sexual crimes against women and children are being committed every day. While the protests and reactions that started after the revelation that a person named Yusuf Acar raped 4 children in the city continued, another criminal file was revealed in Silopi district. 

 

It is learned that Sadun Vural, a philosophy teacher at a boarding high school in the district, committed the crime of “sexual offence of a child” upon the complaint of the students, and that the perpetrator who was arrested was later released and temporarily suspended from duty. 

 

An administrative investigation was initiated by Provincial Directorate of National Education after 15 year old M.İ. and 16 year old M.E. told their families about their sexual abuse. An investigation was also initiated upon the families' application to Silopi Public Prosecutor's Office together with the school administration. 

 

Later, statements of the children were taken at the Child Monitoring Centre (ÇİM). An indictment was prepared on 17 March within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In the indictment, which includes the statements of the children, sexual harassment is described in detail.

 

SUCCESSIVE CRIME IN THE INDICTMENT

 

In the indictment, it was stated that Sadun Vural worked as a bellman at the boarding school where the children stayed, and it was revealed that he sexually harassed 4 more students on a different date and a public case was filed against him. M.İ., one of the children whose statements were included in the indictment, stated that he reported the perpetrator's approaches to the school authorities and that the perpetrator last called him to his house on 5 June 2024. M.E., one of the children, stated that the sexual harassment continued systematically.  The indictment also included the statements of other students staying at the dormitory as witnesses. Witness students described the actions of the perpetrator who went to students' rooms at night. It was stated that many of the statements were also included in the administrative investigation.

 

In the indictment, it was stated that the actions went beyond the level of "molestation" due to the pressure the perpetrator put on the students, "misconduct in office" and the continuity of sexual harassment, the statements of the children and witnesses overlapped with each other, the events were conveyed in a certain consistency and there was sufficient evidence to open a public case for the punishment of the suspect, and the perpetrator was requested to be deprived of the use of certain rights in accordance with Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237 due to the "intentional" crime he committed. 

 

FIRST HEARING HELD

 

Cizre 1st High Criminal Court accepted the indictment and held the first heraing on 18 June. The perpetrator, who was tried without arrest, defended himself as "I kissed them in front of everyone to shake hands" and accused the childre. The next hearing was adjourned to 6 October. 

 

One of the noteworthy details about the perpetrator in the indictment was that a similar public case had been opened before. According to the information obtained, 4 students made the same complaint about the person in June 2024. The person was suspended within the scope of the administrative investigation initiated by the Provincial Directorate of National Education. The detained person was arrested on the charge of "sexual abuse of a child" within the scope of the prosecutor's investigation and sent to prison. The indictment was accepted by Cizre 1st High Criminal Court and the arrested person was released at the 5th hearing held on 11 June. 

 

The request of Şirnex Bar Association Women's and Children's Rights Commission to merge both files was rejected by the court. 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut