Murder of Ibrahim Oktugan

On 7 May 2024, 74-year-old Ibrahim Oktugan, the Principal of a private high school in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district, was fatally shot by a former student identified as Yousif K., a 17-year-old of Iraqi origin with Turkish citizenship. Yousif K. had been expelled from the school five months prior due to disciplinary issues. He returned to the school, entered Oktugan's office, and shot him five times. Despite emergency medical efforts, Oktugan succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.^[1]

74-year-old school Principal Ibrahim Oktugan had expelled the suspect from the school some five months before due to his conduct, which has been cited as the motive for the murder.

"The student was very problematic," Kadriye Deveci, a teacher at the school told Rudaw’s Rawin Sterk, adding “He Oktugan said that he suspect was not a good example for our students. He was very disrespectful to all teachers.”

"It was decided to expel him from school. The family tried hard to fight this. The student was very bad. We said we can no longer tolerate his conduct, so we expelled him," Deveci explained.

Oktugan was shot twice in the head, and succumbed to his wounds hours later in the hospital.

Family, friends, and students of the teacher protested the murder, calling on authorities to take greater measures towards protecting the education sector from violence.^[2]

A principal of a high school in Turkey’s Istanbul was murdered by an Iraqi migrant who had allegedly travelled to Turkey to escape war and persecution.

The criminal had been expelled from school 5 months ago for various disciplinary reasons, and has an extensive criminal record including weapon possession and assault.

Principal Ibrahim Oktugan was shot 5 times and lost his life later at a hospital.

Iraqi migrant after murdering Oktugan shared a video on his social media account, declaring “I shot him in the head.”^[3]

The teenager, identified only as Yousif K., was studying at a private high school in Eyüpsultan when he was expelled in December 2023 following conflicts with his teacher and the principal, İbrahim Oktugan.

Five months after his expulsion, Yousif K. returned to the school and entered Oktugan's room, where he shot the principal five times with a firearm he had brought with him, inflicting serious injuries.

Yousif K., reportedly of Iraqi origin and holding Turkish citizenship, fled the scene following the shooting. Despite medical interventions, Oktugan succumbed to his injuries after being transported to the hospital. Eyüpsultan police apprehended the student and placed him under detention. Yousif K. was then taken to the juvenile police bureau for questioning before being transferred to the courthouse for further legal proceedings.

The security camera footage reportedly showed Yousif K. entering and exiting the principal's room within a span of around 20 seconds, visibly armed with a gun.^[4][5]

Following the shooting death of İbrahim Oktugan, who was working as a principal at a private school in the Eyüpsultan district of Istanbul, by one of his students, education unions went on strike across the country today.

Teachers protesting the killing of their colleagues held protests in 81 provinces, demanding that measures be taken against violent incidents.

Gathering in front of the Ministry of National Education in Ankara, educators marched to the Parliament building and to the provincial directorates of national education in other provinces, including Istanbul. It was reported that many parents did not send their students to schools, and therefore the schools remained empty.^[6] Thousands of teachers and education union members held demonstrations in Ankara, Istanbul and other Turkish provinces on Friday to protest violence in schools and demand safe working conditions for teachers^[7]

Deputy President Cevdet Yilmaz, along with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunc, and Education Minister Yusuf Tekin, visited Ankara Ataturk High School in response to recent attacks against educators.

During the visit, Yilmaz disclosed details of legislative measures against violence towards teachers, emphasizing the government's unequivocal stance against such unacceptable acts.

Yilmaz expressed Turkey's stance against unacceptable acts of violence targeting education professionals, saying that he views any violence directed towards the education community as an attack on the country's future and strongly condemns it.

Education workers on May 10 protested the recent murder of school principal İbrahin Oktugan and demanded increased safety measures from Turkey’s Education Ministry in Istanbul’s Beyazıt district.

Thousands convened at Beyazıt Square with the call from multiple teachers’ unions and marched to the Istanbul Education Directorate to voice their demands.

Many teachers across Turkey supported the call from their unions with a one-day strike, abstaining from classes and administrative duties.

The Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim-Sen) focused on the underlying systemic problems that have caused the gun attack.^[8]

Speaking to BBC Turkish , Education Union Branch 1 President Barış Uluocak said that tens of thousands of teachers participated in the protest in Istanbul.^[9]

In Eyüpsultan, the trial has begun regarding the murder of school principal Ibrahim Oktugan, who was shot dead. The student who shot the principal stated in his defense, "I experienced racism; anyone who was provoked would have gone through this incident."

On 7 May 2024, the trial regarding the murder of school principal Ibrahim Oktugan, who was shot in his office, began in the Eyüpsultan district of Istanbul. During the hearing at the Istanbul 1st Heavy Penal Court, detained Yousif K., who was a child involved in the crime at the time of the incident, and the family of the deceased Ibrahim Oktugan were present as "complainants." Two other children involved in the crime, who are not detained, and the defendant Muhammed Günay G., along with the parties' lawyers, also attended the court.

In his defense, Yousif K. stated that he is a person who constantly uses a weapon, saying, "Defendant Muhammed Günay provoked me; otherwise, I would not kill anyone. I experienced racism; whoever is provoked would experience this incident. I was not expelled from school; this is in my E-school system. When they saw me at school, they did not open the door."

Defendant Muhammed Günay G. stated in his defense, "Yousif K. confronted İbrahim Hoca at school and approached him aggressively. I was afraid he would make a wrong move. I do not agree with his statements that I provoked him. A person who constantly does such things and carries a weapon, I did not provoke him in any way."

The wife of the deceased İbrahim Oktugan, Fatma Oktugan, said, "My husband served this country and many students for 56 years. He loved his children and his country very much; he was someone who touched everyone's life. I am a retired teacher; I have never heard any bad words from my husband. He was a very enlightened person; he taught all teachers. They called him a martyr, but he was not given martyrdom. What did he do to deserve this? I am a complainant. I want my husband's blood not to be left on the ground."

The lawyer of the complainant Oktugan family, İbrahim Ethem Abikoğlu, stated that the defendant was born in Iraq and expressed that he might be over 18 years old at the time of the murder, adding that they requested a report from the Forensic Medicine Institution for bone age determination.

The court, announcing its interim decision, decided to inquire whether there are documents such as a birth report from the Population Directorate regarding the detained child involved in the crime, Yousif K., and ruled for the continuation of his detention. The panel also ordered the viewing of camera footage related to the incident at the next hearing and adjourned the trial.

After the hearing, İbrahim Ethem Abikoğlu, the lawyer of the Oktugan family, stated, "The trial will continue in the upcoming process, and witnesses will be heard in the next session. We have requests for a report to be obtained regarding the defendant who committed the act, especially concerning the determination of bone age. Therefore, we have an assertion that he is over 18 years old. We requested his referral to the Forensic Medicine Institution regarding this. After the court conducts research on this matter, an interim decision will be made, and eyewitnesses of the incident will be heard. Besides this, we lost a very valuable statesman. He left behind a grieving wife, a child, and a young man. Their only expectation from this point on is justice. At this stage, our trust in justice is infinite."

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was requested that Yousif K. be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 19 to 27 years for the crimes of "premeditated murder due to the performance of a public duty" and "possession of an unlicensed firearm." It was also requested that the two children involved in the crime, A.S. and A.A., be sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for the crime of "aiding in premeditated murder due to the performance of a public duty." In the indictment prepared with a request for consolidation, it was requested that Muhammed Günay G. be sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for the crime of "aiding in premeditated murder due to the performance of a public duty."^[10]

• Murder of Özgecan Aslan
• Belgrade school shooting similar public reaction to the incident