Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has stated that his ministry has been closely following the prosecution and court process in the murder case of a musician who was killed in the capital Ankara and hopes that the assailants will receive exemplary punishment.
“While we want the art to exist with its healing properties, unfortunately, some people can be killed. Our only consolation is that those responsible have been caught,” the minister said.
Underlining that the ministry is following the developments in the case, Ersoy noted that the legal process has already progressed fast.
“Our biggest wish is for the people found guilty to receive the punishment they deserve,” he said.
“I hope that with an exemplary punishment, similar cases will be prevented,” Ersoy added.
Meanwhile, the three suspects, Ali Gündüz, İlker Karakaş and Semih Soyalp, were detained by the Ankara Police Department.
In the first testimonies of Gündüz and Soyalp, they blamed Karakaş for the murder of the musician.
“İlker wanted the musician to sing the song live without karaoke. When Şener refused that, a discussion between the two broke out. While we tried to break up the fight, we were injured by broken glass. İlker made it happen. We tried to prevent him,” they stated.
Refusing the claims of the two other suspects, Karakaş stated that Onur Şener and three women were on the stage before the argument about the song started and that the musician cursed him during the fight.
“As I thought that Onur came in anger to continue the argument and that he would attack the women, I threw a beer glass at him,” he explained.
“I do not know whether the glass hit him or not. Şener punched me too. Both of us fell. Onur fell on his back, and I fell on him. On the floor, I punched him with my right hand. In the meantime, I did not have anything in my hand,” Karakaş added.
Following their testimonies, the three suspects were sent to prison.
While 36-year-old Gündüz has no criminal record, 36-year-old Soyalp has been charged with negligent injury.
The 35-year-old Karakaş has a criminal record for two separate crimes, insulting and resisting not to do the duty.
Şener, working at an entertainment venue, was attacked by three people with whom he got into an argument over not knowing the song they requested in Ankara’s Çankaya districts late on Oct. 2. Despite all medical intervention, he succumbed to his injuries.
The incident has drawn huge reactions in the public while messages of condolence poured in from social media accounts.
Hurriyet Daily News