The 16th hearing was held in the retrial of Mehmet Nurbaki Göçmez, a special operations police officer who killed 12-year-old Nihat Kazanhan on 14 January 2015 in the Cizîr (Cizre) district of Şirnex (Şırnak) and who has been "wanted" with a red notice for 2 years and 5 months. 

 

The hearing, held at Cizre 1st Heavy Penal Court, was attended by the Kazanhan family and their lawyers. It was observed that Serkan Kızıldemir, who had been identified through reports of historical traffic search as having used defendant Mehmet Nuri Göçmez's phone and for whom a decision had been issued to compel his appearance at the hearing to be questioned, was also not brought to the hearing.

 

Nihat Kazanhan's father, Mehmet Emin Kazanhan, reiterating the statements he gave in previous hearings, demanded that the defendant be found and arrested. Lawyer Osman Cingöz, also reiterating the arguments made in previous hearings, likewise demanded that the defendant be found and arrested.

 

The court ruled that the deficiencies in the file be addressed and adjourned the hearing to 9 September.

 

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

 

On 14 January 2015, 12-year-old Nihat Kazanhan, who was playing in an empty lot in the Yafes neighbourhood of Cizîr, lost his life as a result of police officer Mehmet Nurbaki Göçmez opening fire. 

 

Cizre 1st Heavy Penal Court sentenced the defendant police officer to aggravated life imprisonment over Kazanhan's death. However, the sentence was reduced to 13 years and 4 months through reductions for "unjust provocation" and "good conduct." 

 

The ruling was upheld on appeal and by the Court of Cassation. The Constitutional Court ruled that there had been a "violation of the right to life" in the file due to the "unjust provocation reduction," and sent the file back to Cizre 1st Heavy Penal Court for the elimination of the consequences of the violation. 

 

The court, having begun the retrial of Mehmet Nurbaki Göçmez, issued a decision on 14 January 2024 for him to be sought via red notices. The said decision was not implemented for a year and a half on the grounds of missing documents. The Ministry of Interior put the decision into effect on 26 May 2025.