France closes the case on the murder in Paris of Sakine, Fidan and Leyla

France has closed all court proceedings over the murder of Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez in Kurdish Information Centre in capital Paris on January 9, 2013.

French authorities had announced that the first hearing on the murder of PKK founding member Sakine Cansız (Sara), KNK Paris representative Fidan Doğan (Rojbin) and Youth Movement member Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahi), who had been massacred in Paris on January 9, 2013, was due to open on January 23-24. The fate of the case remained unknown after the announced death of gunman Ömer Güney in mid December, 2016. Lawyers for families of the three Kurdish women have been notified that the case against Ömer Güney, due to be held at Paris Heavy Penal Court, has been closed due to the death of the sole suspect.

In the investigation file of the case, it was stated that murder suspect Ömer Güney might have perpetrated the triple murder on instructions from an outside structure that extended to Turkish intelligence MİT, and that the case did not progress as Turkey did not provide any information as to whether Güney committed the murders with a direct order from MİT or in relation with a group within MİT.

On the other hand, lawyers for Cansız, Doğan and Şaylemez families stated after Güney's death that the case mustn't be limited with the sole suspect who died short before the scheduled hearing.

Calling attention to the obvious involvement of the Turkish intelligence in the killings, lawyers defended that it would be misleading to handle the case over Ömer Güney alone, underlining that they would continue all their legal efforts in order for the case to be re-opened.