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An Istanbul court on Monday sentenced two defendants to 24 years in prison each for the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in Kadikoy, while acquitting and releasing two others tried in the same case.
According to the indictment, Minguzzi was attacked on Jan. 24 in Kadıkoy’s Hasanpasa neighborhood after a verbal altercation with the two main defendants, B.B. and U.B. B.B. allegedly pushed and later stabbed Minguzzi multiple times, while U.B. reportedly kicked the victim after he fell to the ground. Minguzzi, who was taken to the hospital following the attack, died on Feb. 9 after 17 days of treatment.
The Anadolu 2nd Juvenile High Criminal Court convicted B.B. and U.B. of “deliberate killing of a child,” sentencing each to 24 years in prison without any reduction and ordering that their continued detention. The court ruled for the acquittal and release of M.A.D. and A.O., who had been charged with assisting in the crime.
Minguzzi’s parents, Yasemin Akincilar Minguzzi and Andrea Minguzzi, attended the hearing alongside the lawyers of both parties. Extensive security measures were taken inside and outside the courthouse, where citizens gathered holding placards reading “Justice for Mattia Ahmet.”
The public prosecutor repeated an earlier opinion seeking 24-year sentences for B.B. and U.B. and penalties for M.A.D. and A.O. for aiding in the crime. Before the verdict, B.B. and U.B. expressed regret for their actions, while the other two defendants maintained their innocence.
After the ruling, the Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it would pursue legal avenues against parts of the verdict that conflicted with its final opinion, which had requested the conviction and continued detention of all four defendants.
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