Anadolu Court Acquits Şengüler, Women's Organizations Oppose

In a case heard at Anadolu Court, Ayhan Şengüler, administrator of the Quran Service Foundation, was acquitted at the verdict hearing on charges of abusing 8-year-old Hifa İkra Şengüler.

The Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office grounded its acquittal request on two reasons: mother Fatma Nur Çelik and her daughter filing a complaint only 1.5 years after the alleged incident and the absence of witnesses during the abuse. The court adopted these grounds and issued a verdict of insufficient evidence.

Şengüler had previously been accused of forcing Fatma Nur Çelik into marriage as a child; Çelik alleged that Hifa İkra, born from this relationship, was also abused. The case history spans both family courts and criminal proceedings since the initial complaint phase in 2024.

Prior to the verdict hearing, women's organizations and former Ankara Member of Parliament Aylin Nazlıaka of the YENİ Party, gathered outside Anadolu Court in Kartal, demanded Şengüler's arrest. The court rejected both the women's request to attend the hearing and their request for additional time to make statements against the prosecutor's opinion.

Nazlıaka announced they would continue pursuing the case after the verdict. The decision is expected to be appealed.