The fatal shooting of a 28-year-old woman found dead inside the Turkish military compound in occupied Assia has escalated into a legal crisis after reports identified the main suspect as a Turkish serviceman, immediately putting the case outside the jurisdiction of the local “courts.”
Initially reported as a suicide, the death has prompted legal circles and civil society groups to demand a full investigation into the possibility of a criminal act or domestic violence. Under the current legal framework in the occupied areas, the “courts” of the breakaway regime lack the authority to prosecute Turkish military personnel, who are instead handed directly to the authorities in Turkey.
The legal blockage was confirmed by the head of the Turkish Cypriot Bar Association, Hasan Esentagli. He stated that the “police,” even if willing, are “unable to proceed with an investigation, as they have no ‘jurisdiction’ over members of the Turkish army.”