The suspicious death of 21-year-old Rojin Kabaiş, a first-year student in the Child Development Department at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, remains unresolved. The ATK’s supplementary report has revealed that the possibility of contamination mentioned in the initial report has been ruled out.

 

Eren Keskin, who has closely followed the developments, evaluated the ATK’s report and the 

current status of the case.

 

Keskin said: “We believe that Rojin Kabaiş was the victim of a murder. For years, we have been pointing out the deeply problematic role of the ATK in determining suspicious deaths and cases of torture. Although there is no legal requirement for it, the ATK’s reports are accepted by prosecutors and judges as the sole authoritative document for such cases. It is the only officially designated expert body and a politically dependent institution.”

 

‘ATK MISLED SOCIETY BY CALLING IT SUICIDE’

 

Keskin described the ATK’s approach as unacceptable, adding: “We have even published a book about ATK reports and their influence on trials. These cases are shaped by ATK assessments, and decisions regarding the nature of the crime rely on ATK reports. In Rojin’s case, the ATK first claimed it was a ‘suicide.’ They tried to persuade the public of this. But her family did not accept it. With considerable effort and with the support of the Van and Diyarbakır bar associations, they expanded their legal work.”

 

Questioning why the contamination-free conclusion was announced one year later, Keskin continued: “It has now become clear that this was a murder. Everyone says ‘this is a murder.’ So why did they declare it a ‘suicide’ a year ago? The ATK has played a major role in delaying this case. Secondly, in many cases—as in Rojin’s—official institutions were left out of the investigation. We do not believe that the responsibilities of the university, the management of the state dormitory, or the camera footage were adequately examined. Numerous accounts have circulated publicly, including social media posts identifying the alleged perpetrators. All of this must be evaluated by the prosecutor’s office. But most importantly, the turning point is the ATK’s reports. Because of these reports, the confirmation that this was a murder has been delayed by a year. Unfortunately, the insistence on relying on the ATK for documentation in such cases continues in Turkey.”

 

‘ATK HAS WORKED TO CONCEAL TORTURE UNTIL TODAY’

 

Keskin added: “We have seen similar patterns in many such cases. I do not believe any criminal complaint will yield results. This is a state policy. The ATK is not meant to be questioned. In fact, the reason the ATK is treated as the sole competent authority is because torture is a state policy. The ATK has worked to conceal torture up to this day. In the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, during prison operations, and now in the cases of severely ill prisoners, impunity has been maintained through ATK reports. Because the ATK is a key instrument of impunity, there is a deliberate effort to prevent scrutiny of the institution,” she said.

 

THE ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY

 

Keskin concluded: “As human rights defenders, we can say this: we have never trusted the judiciary. In this region, the judiciary has always been dependent. Since the establishment of the Republic, it has been linked to militarism. But this time, we are witnessing a completely different process—one fully controlled by a single centre, where judges and prosecutors cannot even look lawyers in the eye out of fear. Public trust in the judiciary is zero, yet the judiciary itself seems to care the least. This is remarkable. Because the judiciary is both the principal instrument for maintaining impunity and the main tool of intimidation. At this moment, we are being governed through fear. A large part of society is afraid of everything and remains silent, thinking, ‘Something might happen to me.’ In fact, this is precisely what the judiciary is being used for.”

 

MA / Omer Ibrahimoglu