Dilek Bozkurt/HALKWEB The first hearing of the case regarding the suspicious death of 21-year-old Uğur Yıldırım, who had autism, in a nursing home on October 22, 2024 will be held tomorrow. Mother Dilek Barut is demanding the harshest punishment for the 9 defendants who will appear before the judge at Bakırköy 18th High Criminal Court. In her statement to journalist Dilek Bozkurt, Barut pointed to an institutionalized murder and emphasized that the case should be a ’precedent“ for all families: ”We give our children to these institutions out of obligation, but not so that they will die.“.
30 times more pesticides and binding marks
The autopsy conducted after the suspicious death of Uğur Yıldırım revealed horrifying findings on the teenager's body. According to the report:
The young man's blood tested positive for 30 times the required dose.
Ecchymoses (bruises) were found on his wrists and ankles, proving that he had been tied to the bed or to an object.
The cause of death was recorded as “drug overdose poisoning”.
Mother's Cry: “They were starved to the point of eating their feces”
Speaking to journalist Dilek Bozkurt, grieving mother Dilek Barut listed the horrifying allegations at the institution. Stating that her son had been beaten before, his ear was blown off, but it was hidden as “a simple incident”, Barut described the treatment of other patients in the institution with the following words:
“The children are made to walk naked and are left without food and water. They are made to eat their own feces out of hunger and drink rainwater from buckets out of thirst. This is a place where the caretakers wear fear masks to scare the children, where all kinds of beatings and abuse take place.”
9 Defendants Stand Trial
With the indictment prepared within the scope of the investigation launched after the incident, a lawsuit was filed against 9 defendants, including the director of the institution, caregivers and cleaning staff.
Five defendants will be charged with “intentional killing” and “intentional injury” and four defendants will be charged with “failure to report the incident”.
The first hearing of the case will be held on Friday, February 27 (tomorrow) at Bakırköy 18th High Criminal Court at 10:30 am. Mother Dilek Barut calls for justice, saying, ’Let no other Uğurlar die, let there be a precedent-setting verdict.“.