Turkish court acquits Şaban Vatan of ‘insulting President’ in first hearing

Duvar English

A Turkish court acquitted Şaban Vatan of “insulting the President” in the first hearing, he announced in a social media post on May 22.

Şaban Vatan is the father of Rabia Naz who was found dead in a suspicious way six years ago. He has been seeking justice for his daughter since then.

In a post, Vatan said, “Today, not only Şaban Vatan, but all mothers and fathers like us who struggle for justice for their children won. Rabia Naz Won,” announcing his acquittal.

Last month, Vatan announced he was facing a lawsuit because of his social media posts. The plaintiff claimed that Vatan “publicly insulted” Erdoğan.

Rabia Naz Vatan

On 12 April 2018, Rabia Naz Vatan was found heavily injured and unable to talk in front of her home in Turkey’s northern Giresun province.

She died shortly afterward in hospital, leaving behind a family determined to uncover the details behind her suspicious death. 

Since 2018, Rabia Naz’s father Şaban Vatan faced nothing short of defamation, gaslighting, and threats in response to his calls to Turkish authorities to illuminate the circumstances of his daughter’s death.

Rabia Naz’s death remains unresolved, and no defendants have been put on trial concerning the suspected homicide.

The authorities ruled that the girl had committed suicide from the roof terrace of her family home, but Şaban Vatan has been campaigning for a more detailed probe after finding evidence that contradicted the ruling. 

Şaban Vatan insisted that she was hit by a car driven by the nephew of then-Eynesil Mayor Coşkun Somuncuoğlu from the AKP.

Vatan has also maintained that former minister and former AKP deputy Nurettin Canikli personally intervened to cover the story up.

Erdoğan sues Şaban Vatan seeking justice for 11-year-old daughter's suspicious deathDomestic

Six years without answers: What happened to Rabia Naz Vatan? Domestic