Life imprisonment sought for suspect in killing of Uzbek woman in Türkiye

Prosecutors in Türkiye have requested an aggravated life sentence for Rashid Yasan, the owner of a casino where a 35-year-old Uzbek citizen, M. Aliyeva, was fatally shot in the head on July 5, 2025, in the Koçarlı district of Aydın province, T24 reported.

Police and emergency medical teams arrived at the scene after receiving a call. The seriously injured woman was taken by ambulance to Koçarlı State Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her life.

Seven-month investigation

During the investigation, casino owner Rashid Yasan was detained. As the inquiry expanded, police also detained Emrah K., Akif D., K.K., and A.Ch., who were taken to the Aydın courthouse. Yasan was arrested on charges of intentional murder of a woman. Akif D. was accused of deleting surveillance footage, while Emrah K. was accused of destroying the weapon used in the crime. Two other suspects were released under judicial supervision. Later, Emrah K. and Akif D. were temporarily released following objections from their lawyers. Investigators later determined that another individual, Ibrahim Y., was also involved in destroying evidence.

After collecting testimony from 40 witnesses, prosecutors filed an indictment against Rashid Yasan, Emrah K., Akif D., and Ibrahim Y. Prosecutors requested aggravated life imprisonment for Yasan and up to five years in prison for the other three suspects.

In his testimony, Yasan claimed the victim had taken her own life. According to him, the incident occurred in a room at the casino after their relationship ended. He said the woman could not accept the breakup, threatened suicide, and during an argument picked up a gun from the table, fired into the air, and then shot herself. The only eyewitness gave a similar statement.

After the incident, Yasan reportedly became ill and vomited. While being taken to hospital by Emrah K. and others, he allegedly asked, “Where is the gun?” and “What happened to the recordings?” Emrah K. reportedly replied, “Don’t worry, everything will be resolved. The main thing is that you recover.” Prosecutors considered Yasan’s claim of suicide an attempt to avoid responsibility. It was also noted that there were no cameras in the room where the incident occurred, while Akif D. said he had not deleted footage from that time. The weapon allegedly hidden by Emrah K. was later handed over to prosecutors.

Earlier, it was reported that an Uzbek woman had been murdered in Istanbul and her decapitated body was found in a garbage container. It was later revealed that her friend had also been stabbed in a similar incident.