The case of death threats against the prosecutor conducting the "Newborn Gang" investigation

At the hearing at the Bakırköy 21st High Criminal Court, six detained defendants, including Mustafa Kemal Zengin, who threatened the public prosecutor, as well as some defendants not in custody and the lawyers of the parties, were present.

The defendants' defense statements were taken at the hearing, which was also attended by the complainant prosecutor Yavuz Engin.

Arrested defendant Aylin Arslantatar stated that being a defendant in a case where she could only be a witness was a bad thing, saying, "I represented Mustafa Kemal Zengin's brother's son. We met with the family very frequently. They were in a very difficult situation. That's how we became friends. I've known Mustafa Kemal Zengin for 11 months. I'm learning everything I've heard here with you. Yavuz Engin and I had many mutual friends. We met on social media before he was transferred to Istanbul."

Speaking about the day the video recording was taken, defendant Arslantatar claimed, "I had no idea Mustafa Kemal Zengin would speak in that tone. As can be seen from the content, I tried to intervene and react to Mustafa Kemal Zengin. After he left the room, I got into a fight with Zengin. I was angry, wondering how you could speak to a prosecutor in such a tone. Zengin said to me, 'I spoke to you like that because you're sincere.' I responded, 'He's my friend, but you have no right to speak like that.' Zengin said to me, 'He's not your friend at all. I think he was recording us.' I still didn't criticize Yavuz Engin. I defended him against Mustafa Kemal."

Arrested defendant Muhammed Emin Orhan maintains he was not a hitman, saying he met Mustafa Kemal Zengin at a certain point and only got his number. Orhan later reported asking Zengin for help with his military school entrance exam, alleging that Zengin told him, "Let's make you an intelligence officer."

Claiming that defendant Zengin had a mysterious way of speaking, Orhan explained:

"I went to Siirt to distract myself. He called me. He said, 'Let's make you a member of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).' He made up all sorts of things. I went to Ankara to see a friend of mine. Zengin took my ID card. He came back a week later with an MIT card. I didn't know the card was fake. He was sending me to rallies. There was another guy named Polat who worked with him. There's such a secret about them that they act like they're part of a terrorist organization. Zengin told me, 'There's a courthouse employee.' But he didn't say it was Yavuz Engin. He said, 'You just shoot at the door.' He said, 'I'll give you $100,000.' I never accepted. I spend $100,000 a week. I don't need the money. He's the reason I ended up in prison. This was a mistake I made to get away from my family."

Complainant public prosecutor Yavuz Engin said in his statement, "I did not receive threats as an ordinary citizen. I received threats because of my job as a prosecutor on behalf of the government."

Engin, who stated that he was conducting an investigation into the case known to the public as the "newborn gang," said that while he was in his hometown of Bolu on August 30, 2024, the defendant Aylin Arslantatar sent him a message on social media saying, "It's very important, we need to talk about your life," and called him immediately afterward.

Engin stated that Arslantatar told him, "You went to Bolu," and gave details about his family, and noted the following:

"I was surprised she knew the information. Because not everyone is privy to this information. She even told me about my brother's criminal record. She mentioned knowing where my father worked. She said, 'The hospital bosses have a grudge against you because of the investigation you're conducting. You unjustly arrested Tuğçe Toptemel.' When she mentioned this, I suspected her motives. Was she trying to protect me, or was she a middleman? She also shared crucial information. At the time, I wanted to bring my parents to Istanbul because they had never been there. My family and I would discuss this on the phone. Aylin said to me, 'You're supposed to bring your parents to Istanbul, don't bring them.' Where did this woman get this information? She said, 'There's a hitman after you, so be vigilant even while driving.' We can continue our duties without fear because of the work we do, but we must protect our families. So, I sent my mother, father, wife, and child to a different location. We had to live apart for three months."

Engin stated that he informed the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor of the situation upon his return to Istanbul, saying, "I filed a formal complaint. I also asked the prosecutor who prepared the indictment for three or four days to address Aylin. I wanted to speak to Aylin face-to-face about this matter because, as I said, I wasn't sure if she was being threatened or if she was a middleman. I told her, 'A Turkish prosecutor wouldn't compromise their honor.' She told me, 'You're very impulsive.' She made contradictory statements. I realized that Aylin wasn't trying to protect me, but to pressure and threaten me to get Tuğçe released. Then Aylin was added to the case file as a suspect. The investigating prosecutor then told me that we needed to place a camera in the room and take statements from these individuals to identify them."

Engin, who stated that the conversations in his office were recorded live during the meeting, said, "When we look at the words of Mustafa Kemal Zengin, we understand that he was not actually trying to have a person released, but to collapse a file."

The court decided to continue the hearing at 10:30 in the morning.

In the hearing that started yesterday morning, the defense statements of 5 detained and 2 undetained defendants were taken.