Satanists were sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday

The Istanbul Second Aggravated Felony Court had previously sentenced Dincer, Celik and Aslan to 25 years and 20 days for the crimes of kidnapping and murder. The Supreme Court overruled that decision, stating that the crime had been "to murder a human being with a motive of fiendish spirit," according to Article 450/3 of the Turkish Criminal Code. Celik and Aslan, who admitted attempting to rape Sehriban Coskunfirat’s body following her murder. It had been requested additional punishment of the accused for the crime of "insulting the human body" as well.

Coskunfirat’s family participated in the Second Felony Court trial. When informed of the decision of the Crime General Committee of the Supreme Court to overrule the Felony Court’s decision, Dincer said, "I have nothing to say." When asked about the Supreme Court decision, Aslan said, "There are a lot of things to say but I don’t want to say anything," in a manner that communicated that he did not agree with the Supreme Court’s verdict. Celik and Dincer said that they were respectful of the decision.

Nuri Imre / Istanbul / TURKEY