Rojin Kabaiş, 21, a first year student of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Department of Preschool Education, left Seyyid Fehim Arvasi Dormitory for Girls on 27 September and was not heard from again. On 15 October, her lifeless body was found on Molla Kasım beach, 20 kilometres away from the campus. Although there is a confidentiality order in the investigation into the suspicious death of Rojin Kabaiş, some data to create the perception of "suicide" was served to the mainstream media.

 

Rojin Kabaiş's family, on the other hand, has been stating since day one that their daughter did not commit "suicide" but was murdered. Rojin Kabaiş's sister Elif Kabaiş and aunt Özlem Kabaiş emphasized that the investigation was not carried out effectively. 

 

Stressed that her nephew was very excited about going to university, Özlem Kabaiş held the management of the Credit Dormitories Institution (KYK) responsible for the death. "They informed the family 17 hours later. They are responsible for that time. We are pursuing Rojin's case. No matter what happens, we wll not let it go as her family" she said and added: "Rojin has two chargers, one new and one old, the new one is missing and the old one is in her belongings. When Rojin's friend went downstairs, did she bring the charger or not? When she did not returni did not you say, 'Where is Rojin?' Either you are lying or you have made yourself blind, deaf and dumb. Rojin's friend and dormitory are responsible. Ager her disappearance, nethir her roommate nor the dormitory called us nor came to our mourning."

 

CONTRADICTIONS

 

 

Özlem Kabaiş reminded that the search operations were intensified in Lake Wan and underlined that the perception of "suicide" was tried to be created by not conducting any other searches. Özlem Kabaiş said, "If searches had been carried out outside the water, maybe Rojin would have been found. They claim that Rojin committed suicide, but the speak contradictorily. On the one hand they say 'she stayed in the water for 18 days', on the other hand they say 'the body integrity of someone who stays in the water for that long would be damaged, but the body integrity is not damaged'. Another contradiction is that if she was in the water for that long, how come there are two male samples in her DNA?"

 

'MURDERED' ALLEGATION

 

Özlem Kabaiş claimed that her niece was thrown into the water after she was murdered, "They murdered Rojin and then threw her into the water. They announce the file piece by piece every time. Please let them deal with it transparently. They should prepare a correct report and present it to us as soon as possible," she said.  

 

Emphasising that their pain is still as fresh as the first day, Özlem Kabaiş said, "Because the killers are still out there. When we go to her grave, we see Rojin injured, not dead. We want her killers to be found so that Rojin can sleep in her grave. Enough is enough, mothers should not shed tears anymore, no more Rojins should be massacred."

 

'DORMITORY FOOTAGE INCOMPLETE'

 

 

Reacting to the suicide allegations, sister Elif Kabaiş said that her sister had prepared for university for 3 years for her dreams. "Was her 3-year endeavour just to go to university for 2 days?" asked Elif Kabaiş and added: "The place where she disappeared was a state dormitory. They want to close the file so that her name does not come out and they say 'she committed suicide'. My sister did not commit suicide. We will not let the case go and we will continue to fight. If my sister is under the ground, her killers will not be out there either. The murderers will also be punished."

 

Drawing attention to the dialogue between her and her roommate after her sister disappeared, Elif Kabaiş continued as follows: "When I asked her if she had any news about Rojin, she said that she had no news and that she was asleep at that time. However, they talked on the phone with Rojin for about 15 minutes. When we asked, 'Why didn't you inform us about her absence?' she said, 'Why should I be intimate with someone I have known for two days? She talks on the phone for a long time with her roommate whom she says 'I am not intimate'. She neither informed the dormitory nor us. So she also has contradictory testifies. There is footage of Rojin leaving the dormitory, but not her. Then there is footage of the moment Rojin's phone was found, but not the part of who left it. So the footage is always missing. Everything is contradictory, the dormitory informed us late. I appeal to the authorities here; whoever murdered my sister should be found. At least we can at least have some peace of mind."

 

MA / Heval Önkol - Şirvan Şilan Çil