The request for retrial filed with a birth certificate on behalf of Zaim Hişman Ali, from Rojava — who was kidnapped for ransom by the Syrian National Army (SNA) in Syria, handed over to Turkey, and sentenced to "aggravated life imprisonment" despite being 17 years old — was rejected by Şanlıurfa 6th Heavy Penal Court. 

 

Mustafa Vefa, who has taken on Ali's legal representation on behalf of the Human Rights Association (İHD), subsequently filed an objection. Applying to Urfa 7th Heavy Penal Court, Vefa requested that the rejection ruling issued by the court be overturned.

 

According to a report by Yeni Yaşam newspaper, the application drew attention to the fact that the birth certificate shows Ali was a child at the time of the alleged "offence" and constitutes evidence that directly affects the merits of the ruling. 

 

In the objection, which stated that the rejection was issued without any investigation being conducted into the document, it was said: "My client's birth certificate is not merely supplementary data — it is primary evidence that directly changes criminal liability and the applicable sanctions regime." 

 

The application noted that Ali's official date of birth is 14 December 2001 and that the charges against Ali relate to 8 November 2019, drawing attention to the fact that Ali had not yet turned 18 at the time of the incident.

 

The application requested that the execution of Ali's sentence be postponed or suspended.