In the province of Van, numerous taxi drivers protested for the investigation of the death of student Rojin Kabaiş. Despite a ban by the university administration, some drivers joined the ongoing protest by students on the campus of Yüzüncü Yıl University.
Around 150 members of the Van taxi drivers’ group wanted to drive to the university campus on Sunday to show their solidarity with the students who have been staging a sit-in on campus for several days. However, on the instructions of Rector Prof. Dr. Hamdullah Şevli, a former AKP member of parliament, they were denied access. Some of the drivers were not deterred and reached the campus anyway.
“A year of silence – a year without justice”
The remaining drivers gathered in Ipek Park in the city center and made a public statement. Spokesperson Alim Dursun accused the authorities of inaction and concealment. The Kabaiş family has been waiting for answers for a year, he said.
“We now know that a forensic report shows traces of DNA from two different men on Rojin’s body – and that this report was kept under wraps for a year. Rojin’s father knocked on every door with a photo of his daughter. This is a social failure that affects us all.”
Dursun spoke of a possible cover-up attempt and demanded a full investigation. Anyone who withholds evidence or obstructs the proceedings is complicit, he said. As a sign of protest, many taxi drivers stuck pictures of Rojin Kabaiş on their vehicle windows and resumed their work in city traffic—as a rolling vigil against the silence in the Kabaiş case.
Suspicious circumstances surrounding death
Rojin Kabaiş, a 21-year-old student of childhood development, died a year ago in circumstances that remain unclear to this day. Her body was found 18 days after she disappeared from a dormitory on the shores of Lake Van. The investigating authorities quickly put forward the theory of suicide—an interpretation that was questioned by the family from the outset. An updated forensic report contains concrete evidence of possible sexual violence—two male DNA traces were found on sensitive parts of the body.