Apro Diril arrested again in Shmuni and Hurmuz Diril case. Family lawyer demands lawsuit as soon as possible

By Marta Sömek for Gazete Sabro – In the lingering murder and missing persons case of Syriac Chaldean couple Shmuni and Hurmuz Diril, relative and only eyewitness Apro Diril has been arrested again. Apro Diril is an elderly relative who lived alone with the Diril couple in their native village of Mahre (Turkish: Kovankaya). The retired Diril couple disappeared on January 7, 2020. Shmuni Diril was found murdered nearby their village in March 2020. Hurmuz Diril has not been heard from and seen since.

Lawyer of the Diril family Orhan Kemal Cengiz gave a statement about the re-arrest of Apro Diril to Syriac newspaper Gazete Sabro which appears in Turkey:

“This is not just a murder case. One person is still missing! However, we have received absolutely no information on whether the authorities still search for Hurmuz Diril or if there is any progress in the case. An indictment should be prepared, and a lawsuit should be filed as soon as possible.”

Apro Diril, a relative of the family and the only eyewitness, was released in the investigation in September of this year. Speaking about Apro Diril’s earlier release and the confidentiality decision in the ongoing investigation, lawyer Orhan Cengiz said he could not get any response from the prosecutor’s office and that public pressure could potentially exert positive pressure to bring news about the case.

All of Cengiz’s official requests were denied, with the prosecutor appealing to the confidentiality decision in the case. Cengiz says he and the family are not allowed involvement in the investigation and are unable to get any information on whether or how the missing Diril is being sought:;

“The problem is that we are not allowed to participate effectively in the investigation because there is no clarity and openness. But we also have something to say. We want to see the evidence and what is missing. We want information. But we are totally blocked and kept in the dark.”

“The most important thing for us is the swift preparation of the indictment and lawsuit. I have claimed it several times with petitions, but the confidentiality decision delays the pressing of charges. We just can’t seem to get involved. This is a big loss. This is not just a murder case. Hurmuz Diril remains missing and we do not know what is being done to find him.”

Cengiz underlined that the main block is the confidentiality decision. He will continue to file petitions until the indictment is issued. Cengiz also stated that in conversations the prosecutor replied that evidence is still being collected. This doesn’t satisfy the lawyer:

“There is a very urgent problem, a murder, a disappearing. You cannot go on like this. Everything has to go quickly. Urgency is very important here.”

Süryani çift Hürmüz Diril'in kaybolması ve Şimuni Diril'in öldürülmesi soruşturması kapsamında, daha önce tutuklanıp serbest bırakılan çiftin akrabası Apro Diril, savcılığın itirazı üzerine tekrar tutuklandı. pic.twitter.com/pPiQomC9Ip

— Altan Sancar (@altansancarr) October 7, 2021