Lawyer Ali İhsan Kazak: “4 operations to catch the hitman were cancelled at  the last moment”

There are suspicious developments in the investigation of the assassination of Medet Önlü, the Honorary Consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Turkey.

As you may remember, Rizvan Esbulatov, a Russian citizen who introduced himself as “Ruslan” got into contact with Mr. Önlü a few weeks before the assassination. Afterwards, he introduced a local associate to Mr. Önlü, Murat Aluç, who was introduced as “Kemal”. On May 22nd, during his second visit to Mr. Önlü’s office, Murat Aluç evidently assassinated Medet Önlü and ran away. He has not been found or arrested since then.

The Turkish Police Department, who shared photos and evidence about the hit man in the early days of the investigation, has not completed the case even though it’s been more than three months since the incident. Specialists say that this period is too long for such a clear case with all of this evidence.

Lawyer Ali İhsan Kazak, who is following the investigation on behalf of Medet Önlü’s family, states that it must be intentional that the case file is not being completed and the case is not getting started.

There are suspicions for Aluç’s driver, Ömer Peltek, girlfriend and sister too, since they all were arrested and set free while evidently having links to the assassination.

Another piece of information leaked from the Police Department indicates that Murat Aluç has not left the country since the incident. Upon identifying his locations, at least four different operations by Police to catch Aluç and arrest him were cancelled at the last moment. Mr. Kazak says these cancellations came from higher authorities without reasoning and raise great questions and concerns about the attitude of Erdoğan Administration towards the investigation.

Önlü’s family are worried that the Police Department, who in previous Chechen murders released loads of misleading data to the public yet achieved no result, might be maintaining the same attitude on the assassination of Medet Önlü. His widow Leyla Önlü says, all of the instigators aside, the hitman being possibly protected by the authorities is doubling their grief.

Last year, when Caucasus Forum and No Sochi activist Kuban Kural was threatened by unknown individuals with a Russian message, the Turkish Police Department did not run an effective investigation.

So far, despite all the evidence that points to the Russian Federation and an organized crime team for several murders and threats occurring in Turkey, no statement has been made at the Government level.