Teens stand trial in Minguzzi case amid courtroom protests

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court on Oct. 2 listened to adolescent suspects and their accomplices in the case of a Turkish-Italian teenager stabbed to death by his peers, as the courtroom saw tensions over an alleged disability report for one of the suspects.

Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was fatally stabbed in Istanbul earlier this year by his two peers, a crime that sparked widespread attention across the country and ignited a national debate.

The suspects, both minors, face a maximum sentence of 24 years under current Turkish law, which prohibits life imprisonment for individuals under 18 due to mandatory sentence reductions based on age.

Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that his government would review existing legislation and introduce new measures to curb the rising involvement of minors in crime.

The main case involving the two children accused of killing Minguzzi was merged with the files of two other minors who were present at the scene and were arrested. Both defendants are facing up to 20 years in prison for aiding in the intentional killing of the child. Four defendants appeared before the judge together for the first time on Oct. 2

Tensions occasionally flared in the courtroom due to statements made by the defendants.

One of the newly added defendants’ lawyers submitted a disability report from the client’s elementary school years, which sparked strong reactions. The report reportedly included details such as attention deficits and speech difficulties.

After the document was presented, a member of the public reacted angrily to the lawyer for submitting the report on behalf of the defendant.

“They weren’t disabled when they killed someone, so why are they now?”

Other members of the public who came to the courthouse to show support also protested by booing the lawyers.

During the hearing, seven market vendors who witnessed the murder were scheduled to testify. Minguzzi had gone to the market to buy skateboarding supplies when he was attacked. His mother, Yasemin Minguzzi, has been pursuing the legal battle since losing her son.