the trial of a dark revenge in the Turkish diaspora
On his hard shoulder is the body of a man wrapped in carpet in the bottom of an abandoned van. This is what the authorities of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg discovered on July 15, 2012 at around 4 am on the A13 towards Esch-sur-Alzette/Pétange. It was quickly determined that the Renault Master car, registered in France, belongs to 48-year-old Kamal Sahin, who was born in Turkey and lives not far from Hayange (Moselle) town. A local contractor, a Mason by training, his body now lies with his head covered in blood, face down on the floor of his van, without a phone or ID. Why did this family man hit almost every vital area with four 7.65 Browning firearms?
Kamal Şahin, nicknamed “The Turk”, is known as a ruthless person, especially among his employees. Famous for gambling and card games, he is a figure in cafes and casinos in France as well as in Germany or Luxembourg, a shameless gambler, loser and debtor. At times, his creditors come after him or he has been banned from some establishments, such as the Amnéville casino since 2008, for causing trouble there. These two potential leads are quickly dismissed by investigators, who prefer to focus on the story of the long-running conflict that regularly comes up in the mouths of those around them. In June 2004, Kamal Sahin reportedly stabbed a certain Francois Kılıç in the arm several times. The first, at the time, claimed that he was defending himself from the second, who hit him with a chair. It was not the first time that the Turk and the Kurd had torn each other apart: the latter had already instigated an attack against Kemal Sahin in the forest a few years ago.
ALSO READ: Dany Leprince case: hope for new trial to remove shadow of miscarriage of justice
A day before his death, on July 14, 2012, Kemal Şahin spent the night at Star Bar, a Turkish cafe in Knutange (Moselle), where he used to be. He was seen there by at least five witnesses with a person named “Ahmet” who left the scene shortly after midnight. The Luxembourg judicial authorities, which took over the case, were in a hurry to learn from the daughters of the Sahin family that a month before his death, their father had met Ahmed, who had moonlighted a few days earlier for business. Witness appeals published in France as well as in Luxembourg show that an Audi 80 was parked a few meters in front of the utility vehicle on the evening of the murder, where the van was found. he had set off with four Turkish or North African men on board.
Numerous telephone investigations, particularly the exploitation of the victim’s private line, allowed the police to determine that Kamal Sahin had been contacted four times on the evening of his death by a telephone line that did not exist prior to July 3, 2012. from July 8 to July 15 at 00:03, all operations were suspended after the body was found. Fadets – wiretaps – show that this number has only five callers, as well as the last call from 07 belonging to … Francois Kılıç.
“Kemal, it’s over”
It won’t be long before his son Kılıçı – whose name is Sefer – is under police custody. At the third hearing, the young man, an agent of the National Police, who was betrayed by phone, admitted that on the night of July 14-15, 2012, he contacted his father – his father – his fadets were robbed. The latter asked him to pick him up from the “No Man’s Land” bar located on the border together with his right-hand man Iljat Osmanov around 03:30. Sefer explains to the police that on the way his father told him “ Kamal, it’s over but without specifying who killed him. He also confirms to them that his father had a gun and a silencer and that on July 16 he dropped him off in Colmar, where Francois Kılıç took the train to Turkey.
If Iljat Osmanov, who was interviewed for the first time in May 2013, completely denies the facts, then he sits down to eat. He explains that despite his conflict with Francois Kılıç, he established friendship with Kemal Sahin. Wanting to reconcile his two friends, he accepted the meeting idea to François Kılıç. The latter asked Osmanov to bring Sahin to Sefer’s apartment on the border with the keys. In the evening of July 14, he went to the toilet when the former rivals seemed to be having fun talking to each other in Kurdish. After returning to the salon, Kamal Sahin died. Fearing for his life, he obeys the orders of François Kılıç, rolls the body with him on the carpet and puts it in the van to get rid of him. Unlucky, he got stranded on the highway. Later, Iljat Osmanov confirms Sefer Kılıç’s version and excludes him from participating in the events in his apartment.
ALSO READ: ‘Post Office Unknown’: First Suspect Disappears, Second Acquitted, New Trial Ahead
François Kılıç, who was arrested on his way back from Turkey, defends himself from participation in the crime. He claims he spent the evening of 14 July 2012 with his son and friends at a bar in Metz and drove to Esch, Athus and Longwy, where some witnesses claimed to have seen him. If his son accuses him, it’s “ to make beautiful “because he” compressed ” too much. He told the police that Iljat Osmanov often used his mobile phone to call Macedonia and hinted that he might do it on the night of the crime. Moreover, he claims to be an informer for the French police. The search of his house PJ , reveals the agenda with the contact information of many law enforcement officers. When the genetic examination returned, there was a dramatic turn of events: the victim’s body was found in a rolled-up plaid, in several corners of the carpet used to transport him, his pants, one of his shoes, his left index finger, and DNA was also found on the steering wheel of the van. … Sefer Kılıch! Iljat Osmanov’s is on the sleeve of Kemal Sahin’s jacket, on his right little finger and on the passenger handle of the minibus, which confirms his statements. As for the sword father, he is found only in one corner of the carpet. The result of the competitions, at the end of the instruction Francois Kılıch murder , his son and Iljat Osmanov are again sent to the Heavy Penal Court on the charge of complicity.
Is Francois participating in Kilic’s trial?
January 2022. In the dock before the Moselle Criminal Court, three defendants each give their version of the facts. The father never accuses his son directly. No need: DNA speaks for itself. A two-week trial in which genetic experts listened carefully. For them, when it comes to the son’s DNA, it can only be a direct transfer, not a secondary one. It will come as no surprise that his DNA is found in large quantities on the carpet and the plaid taken from his apartment. Or over the motorcycle gloves that went missing from his house that his dad could steal for him. Sometimes DNA has to bend in the face of other elements. In this case, the phone acquits Sefer Kılıç. Not so the case of his father, who has no alibi for his work schedule from July 14 to 15, 2012. Those who said they saw him in a bar lied because of fear and the pressure of a sleeping person. In Turkish society, he is feared “like the mafia”.
ALSO READ: He Claimed His Wife Left Him: His Crime Was Not Revealed Until His Death
François Kılıç’s participation for the Criminal Court is obvious. Admittedly, the motive – the stabbings for which he was never compensated – may seem erased after eight years. However, it depends on the personality of the person concerned. A story of honor and resentment. François Kılıç was sentenced to 25 years in the first instance, his son was acquitted, and Osmanov was sentenced to two years in prison for hiding the body and not participating in the murder. This January 10, 2023, before the High Criminal Court of Haut-Rhin, after the appeal filed by François Kilic, we will take the same and start again.
The same? Except for one detail. In January 2022, the president of the Moselle Criminal Court took the liberty of sending everyone home after pleas, preferring to deliberate the next day. The defendant, François Kılıç, who appears to be free, never represented himself at the trial. A pretrial detention measure was chosen for him. No one knows if he will be in the box with his son and Osmanov next Tuesday.
