Justice still not served after 18 months
4th hearing in the case of Reşit Kibar, killed in Cankurtaran, Artvin, will be held on 30 January
News Centre
Despite 18 months having passed, while public officials have not been prosecuted, villagers are once again in the defendant’s dock. In Cankurtaran, a village in Artvin’s Borçka district, the 4th hearing in the case of Reşit Kibar, who was killed for defending his nature and living spaces, will be held on Friday 30 January at 09.00 at the Artvin High Criminal Court.
In a statement by the lawyers of Reşit Kibar’s family, it was noted that although around 18 months have passed since the killing, public responsibility has still not been investigated. The statement stressed that no effective prosecution has been carried out against public officials and those who instigated the crime and that the case is being deliberately kept limited to individual perpetrators.
It was recalled that at the hearing, the Gendarmerie Station Commander, who is said to have taken no security precautions on the day of the incident despite knowing of the villagers’ objections to a project amounting to forest destruction, will be heard as a witness.
The statement drew attention to the fact that those responsible for the killing have not been prosecuted and reminded that cases against villagers who defended their nature and living spaces are continuing on charges of simple assault and property damage, adding: “While the political will, public administration and instigators who prepared the ground for the killing are not prosecuted, villagers will once again be brought before us as ‘defendants’. In the courtroom we will once again state that ‘defending life’ is a right and we will ensure that all those responsible are prosecuted.”
CALL TO LEGAL ORGANISATIONS
The lawyers representing Reşit Kibar's case stated that they would continue their struggle until all those responsible for the murder were brought to justice and their living spaces were liberated. They called on bar associations, legal organisations и all defenders of life to follow the trial together.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Reşit Kibar için adalet: 1,5 yıl geçti adalet gelmedi, published in BirGün newspaper on January 28, 2026.
