In the case regarding the stabbing death of 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan in Güngören district of Istanbul, 14-year-old Juvenile Under Judicial Process (JSC) was sentenced to 18 years, 10 months and 15 days in prison.
According to IHA news, the case in which the defendant E.Ç. (14) was tried for the stabbing death of 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan during a fight in Güngören was concluded.
At the hearing held by the Bakırköy 2nd Juvenile High Criminal Court, which was closed to members of the press and the audience, detained juvenile E.Ç. (14) and the complainant's mother, Gülhan Ünlü, and the lawyers of the parties were present.
Announcing its decision, the court ruled that E.Ç. be sentenced to a total of 18 years, 10 months and 15 days in prison for the crimes of 'intentional killing of a child', 'violating law no. 6136' and 'chain threat with a gun' and that he remain in detention.
In the indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, E.Ç. (14) as 'suspect', Atlas Çağlayan as 'victim', 4 children, including Çağlayan's twin brother Doruk, as 'victims', and 3 people, including Çağlayan's parents, as 'complainants'. In the indictment prepared, it was stated that on the day of the incident, January 14, at around 20.16, an argument broke out between two groups in a cafe, during which Child Driven to Crime (SSÇ) E.Ç. stabbed Atlas Çağlayan, and as a result of this incident, Çağlayan died in the hospital where he was taken, and an investigation was launched within the scope of the incident.
In the death examination report, it was stated that the injury alone was lethal. The Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) report was included in the prepared indictment. In the report, it was emphasized that E.Ç. committed the crimes of 'intentional murder', 'violation of the law on firearms, knives and other tools numbered 6136' and 'threat with a weapon', and that his ability to perceive the actual legal meaning and consequences of the crimes and direct his behavior was sufficiently developed.
On the other hand, the deceased Atlas Çağlayan's death examination report dated January 15, 2026 was also included in the indictment. According to the report, it was stated that Çağlayan had a 3 and a half centimeter cut in the front middle of his chest and a 1 and a half centimeter cut on the left side of his chest. In the autopsy report, it was stated that 2 stab wounds were detected on the body, there was a wide stab wound in certain parts of his chest, and this injury alone was lethal. Footage review reports from the day of the incident were also included in the indictment. According to the minutes, on the day of the incident, E.Ç. It was stated that E.Ç. and his friends were sitting in the cafe, Atlas came later, E.Ç. exchanged glances with Atlas while leaving the cafe, Atlas and his friends followed SSÇ and his friends, E.Ç. took a knife out of his pocket, injured Çağlayan by swinging the knife in his hand 2-3 times, and SSÇ ran away with his friends after stabbing the victim. On the other hand, it was also stated that there was no basis record between the parties in the 3-month search and search base data of suspect E.Ç. and victim Atlas Çağlayan. It was also mentioned in the indictment that, according to the examination of E.Ç.'s phone, there were more than one photo of the suspect with a gun in his hand, photos of a gun alone and a photo of a pocket knife.
In the prepared indictment, suspect E.Ç. It was requested that he be sentenced to a total of 13 years and 6 months in prison, up to 21 years, 7 months and 15 days in prison for the crimes of "intentional murder against a child", "violating the law no. 6136" and "chain threats with a gun".
Making a statement before the trial regarding the death of Atlas Çağlayan, mother Gülhan Ünlü said, "I now want justice for my child. I know that no punishment will relieve me, but I want this perception of impunity to disappear. There should be no more thoughts of 'We will serve 3 years, 5 years, and then we will continue our lives'. We now want to protect our other children, too."
Complainant mother Gülhan Ünlü made a statement in front of the Bakırköy Palace of Justice before the trial of the defendant E.Ç. (14) regarding the death of 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan, who was stabbed to death in a fight in Güngören. Many citizens came to the courthouse to support the complainant Gülhan Ünlü.
Speaking in front of the courthouse, Gülhan Ünlü stated that she wanted the defendant to receive the heaviest punishment and said, "As we said in the first hearing, all of our demands were rejected. We will make the same demands again today. We wanted the footage to be watched in the first hearing, but unfortunately it was rejected. My expectation from the hearing is that I want the participants to be tried as defendants. They only exist as witnesses in the file. I can say that it is already very clear in the file. There are messages, there are photos of the murderer with a gun, he sent a message 4 days before the incident that he stabbed someone else." "There are drugs. We want the participants to be punished now. 8 months have passed, we have neither night nor day, nor sleep. I want justice for my child. I know that no punishment will relieve me, but I want this perception of impunity to disappear. We want to protect our other children from now on."
Touching on the punishment amounts, mother Gülhan Ünlü continued her statement and said, "The punishment of these murderers should be the same as the punishment they received. The sentence is given as 21 years, but the penalty is 5 years. This sentence is as if it was given to the victim families. There are many gaps in our file from the beginning, there is evidence obstruction. Which of you would take the tool with which the murder was committed? You have to have a reason to take it. We are running after this reason. We want to be more hopeful when I get out of here."
Following the announcement, the hearing in which a decision is expected to be made began.
Reacting to the sentence, mother Gülhan Ünlü said in her statement: "He was called a child, and they reduced his sentence to 21 years and 7 months. He was sentenced to 18 years and 10 months. We all know that this is not what he should be sentenced to. Neither 21 years nor 18 years and 10 months, this is not the sentence for any of them. He will serve 3-4 years. We said we did not want a reduction in the sentence, so they made a discount. I don't know, I just trust God's justice. They still call them children. I can't understand, children are lying under our soil. They call those who talk about guns, drugs, drug dealing and everything, but they don't defend the rights of the dead. Once again, I am devastated, I am torn apart. I believe in his justice. Atlas's rights are not defended here today. Why is there a lesser punishment for a 14-year-old? "You would understand. We have been fighting for months. I do not accept this discount, I do not accept anything," he said.
On the other hand, Yasemin Akıncılar Minguzzi, the mother of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, who died as a result of a knife attack in Kadıköy on January 24, 2025, came to the courthouse to support the grieving mother Gülhan Ünlü. After the two chatted for a while, mother Gülhan Ünlü left the courthouse.
