A court in Istanbul sentenced two men to life in prison for the killing of journalist Hakan Tosun, who was beaten to death on a street in the city’s Esenyurt district on Oct. 10, 2025. The ruling was handed down at the fourth hearing in the case before the Bakırköy 17th High Criminal Court. The court found detained defendants Abdurrahman Murat and Adnan Şahin guilty of intentional killing and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment. The panel also ordered that both defendants remain in custody and declined to apply any reduction to their sentences.
Rabia Çetin
Ahead of the hearing, authorities imposed tight security measures around the courthouse and on the floor where the courtroom was located, with riot police deployed outside the courtroom.
Tosun’s family, lawyers, members of the Istanbul Bar Association’s executive board and politicians were admitted to the courtroom, along with only four journalists. Other members of the press and observers were directed to an additional room, where the hearing was broadcast through Turkey’s SEGBİS audiovisual court system.
The hearing, which had been scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., started 10 minutes late because of the large turnout.
Defendants attend hearing via SEGBİS
Detained defendants Abdurrahman Murat and Adnan Şahin joined the hearing from prison via SEGBİS, Turkey’s audiovisual court communication system.
At the previous hearing, the prosecutor presented his opinion on the merits and requested that Murat and Şahin each be punished as joint perpetrators of “intentional killing” under Articles 37/1 and 81/1 of the Turkish Penal Code, or TCK, and that they remain in custody.
The prosecutor also said there had been no act by Tosun that could justify a sentence reduction on the grounds of “unjust provocation” under Turkish law.
After the defendants’ identities were confirmed, Hakan Tosun’s family was given the floor first.
“We are here so that justice can be served,” Tosun’s family said.
Cemal Yücel, one of the lawyers representing the Tosun family, then addressed the court.
“We reiterate the written statement we submitted at the previous hearing and request that the defendants be punished for intentional killing,” Yücel said.
Lawyer Bozyurt: Hakan Tosun was brutally beaten to death
Hakan Bozyurt, another lawyer representing the Tosun family, referred to video footage from the scene that was shown at the previous hearing. Bozyurt said the first person to make contact with Hakan Tosun was Yusuf Özakdağ, who has been identified as a third suspect in the case.
Bozyurt continued:
“Defendant Abdurrahman Murat does not even give Hakan a chance to get back on his feet or raise his hand. The footage shows him violently kicking Hakan in the head, grabbing him by the hair and beating him. Witnesses at the scene had claimed that Abdurrahman Murat did not hit Hakan Tosun, but the footage shows otherwise. Adnan Şahin also beats him; we demonstrated this with the camera footage and video.
“We learned from public reports that an investigation has been launched into allegations that evidence in this case was tampered with. It is clear that Hakan Tosun did not fight back in any way and was brutally beaten to death. We request that the defendants be punished for intentional killing.”
Detained defendant Abdurrahman Murat was then given the floor.
“I wish this had never happened. He provoked me repeatedly and hurled serious insults at me. I request my acquittal,” Murat said in his defense statement.
Defendant Adnan Şahin, speaking next, alleged that witnesses were trying to protect Murat.
“The only thing I did was try to get Abdurrahman away from there,” Şahin said in his defense statement. “I did not act jointly with Abdurrahman. During the first incident, I removed Abdurrahman from the scene, but he later returned there on a motorcycle for a second time.
“My only wrongdoing there was not calling an ambulance. I agree with the lawyers that the witnesses are lying. They are trying to pin the blame on me in order to protect Abdurrahman.”
Defense lawyer makes rape allegation
Mustafa Berkay Yılmaz, a lawyer for defendant Adnan Şahin, then addressed the court and alleged during his defense statement that Hakan Tosun had been removed from a Metrobus, Istanbul’s rapid bus transit system, following an accusation of rape.
After Tosun’s family and lawyers objected, Yılmaz said the allegation had instead involved sexual harassment.
Yılmaz claimed that Şahin had not been at the scene of the assault and had not witnessed Tosun being beaten, saying his client had only taken the other defendant, Abdurrahman Murat, away from the scene to prevent further trouble.
“If we are seeking justice for Hakan Tosun, we are also seeking justice for Adnan Şahin,” Yılmaz said. “We reject both the indictment and the prosecutor’s opinion on the merits. My client is innocent. We request Adnan Şahin’s acquittal.”
Defense lawyer: At most, defendant could be punished for simple bodily injury
Turan Susuz, another lawyer representing Adnan Şahin, then addressed the court.
“We have been fighting a legal battle here for a year,” Susuz said in his defense statement. “It is clear that the legal elements required for the offense of intentional killing have not been established in my client’s case. There was no hostility between my client and the victim, he was not carrying a weapon, and he did not deliver a fatal blow.
“The victim died as a result of head trauma, but my client did not strike him in the head. My client was not a joint perpetrator; he tried to remove the other defendant from the scene. There was no exchange whatsoever between him and the victim.
“My client is being treated as a joint perpetrator over an incident in which it has not been established or documented that he struck the victim when he arrived at the scene. It is clear that the legal requirements for prosecuting my client for intentional killing have not been met.
“If my client is to receive any punishment, he could only be punished for simple bodily injury arising from his physical contact with the victim. We request my client’s release and acquittal.”
Hasan Kocabey, a lawyer for defendant Abdurrahman Murat, then took the floor. Referring to an incident involving Tosun on a Metrobus before the assault, Kocabey alleged that Tosun had fallen while getting off the bus and struck his head.
Kocabey requested that an investigation be opened into Tosun’s alleged fall on the Metrobus.
Defense lawyer seeks sentence reduction for unjust provocation
Kocabey concluded his defense statement by asking the court to apply a sentence reduction on the grounds of unjust provocation if it decided to convict his client.
“It is known that he hit his head when he fell while getting off the Metrobus, and we do not know whether he suffered trauma as a result,” Kocabey said. “He sat for 45 minutes beneath the utility pole where the attack later took place. We have to press for the material truth to emerge. What happened to Hakan Tosun needs to be established.
“My client also said in his initial statement that when he saw Hakan Tosun, he appeared to have already been assaulted. Unless it is proven that the fracture to his skull was not caused by the Metrobus incident, my client cannot be punished. If a sentence is imposed, we request that the unjust provocation reduction be applied and that he be released at this hearing.”
Hüsne Alpay, another lawyer for defendant Abdurrahman Murat, alleged that Tosun had used profanity and had initiated the confrontation.
“My client returned to the scene after the first incident not to attack the victim, but because his home is on that street and he was going back home,” Alpay said. “Every insult and every act of provocation came first from the victim. The act amounted only to bodily injury. My client did not beat him repeatedly; he was repeatedly provoked.”
After the defense statements, defendants Abdurrahman Murat and Adnan Şahin were asked for their final words, and both requested acquittal.
The court then recessed before announcing its verdict.
Two defendants sentenced to life in prison
After the recess, the court allowed only lawyers back into the courtroom before announcing its verdict.
The panel sentenced detained defendants Adnan Şahin and Abdurrahman Murat to life imprisonment for intentional killing.
The court also ordered that both defendants remain in custody and did not apply any sentence reduction.
Tosun family lawyers: Fight for justice over third suspect will continue
After the hearing, Tosun’s family and lawyers made a statement outside the courthouse.
Hakan Bozyurt, a lawyer for the Tosun family, said: “Today, the court issued a verdict concerning two people. But our fight for justice will continue regarding the third person who remains a suspect.”
Cemal Yücel, another lawyer for the Tosun family, said those who may have been behind the defendants had still not been identified.
“It has not yet been revealed who is behind these people. Our struggle to uncover that will continue,” Yücel said. “From the very beginning, there were attempts to obscure the Hakan Tosun case. This verdict was reached as a result of the efforts of the family, the lawyers and the public, as well as the court acting fairly. This ruling is a response to those who want to undermine people’s safety on the streets.”
Hakan Tosun’s sister, Öznur Tosun, said justice had been served but called for action against the third suspect.
“We know about the families’ cooperation with the police, and we know how evidence was concealed,” she said. “We are demanding that action also be taken against the third person. Why is no action being taken against this third person at the Büyükçekmece Courthouse? Does justice work differently at every courthouse? We will not let this go. We will continue to fight.”
