Conviction Islamic institutions and contexts Other Islamic authority or family context Istanbul, Turkey · 2024

Turkey: Hiranur Foundation (İsmailağa-linked) leader and follower convicted for the sexual abuse and forced marriage of the founder's six-year-old daughter

Request a correction or reply

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

cemaat/tarikat leader, father, follower (mürit)

Organization

Hiranur Vakfı, İsmailağa Cemaati

Archive classification

This is the archive's application of its published inclusion test. The cited record appears below.

The victim's father was the cemaat-linked foundation's own founder and spiritual authority figure; he used that authority, together with a forced religious marriage doctrine, to place his six-year-old daughter under a follower's control and to conceal the abuse within the community for years before it surfaced.

Religious marriage or family control
Guru or spiritual-teacher authority

Evidence structure

Proceedings

2023-10-23 · first-instance verdict

Istanbul Heavy Penal Court (criminal). Kadir İstekli sentenced to 30 years, foundation founder Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel to 20 years, and Fatıma Gümüşel (mother) to 16 years 8 months for the aggravated sexual abuse and religious 'marriage' of H.K.G., the founder's daughter, from age six.
2024-09-23 · appeal — sentence increased

Regional Court of Appeal / retrial. On appeal the Regional Court of Appeal found the original sentences too lenient; Kadir İstekli's sentence was increased to a combined 36 years (21 years for aggravated child sexual abuse, 15 years for aggravated sexual assault) and Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel's to 18 years 9 months; the mother's file was severed for separate proceedings.

Documented coercion mechanisms

spiritual hierarchy
family control
forced religious marriage
blackmail

Cited record

Sources

soL Haber (2024) 'Hiranur Vakfı'nda cinsel istismar davası: Tarikat liderine 18 yıl, müridine 36 yıl hapis'. Available at: haber.sol.org.tr (Accessed: 19 July 2026).: Turkish original: "İstinaf Mahkemesi bu cezayı yetersiz bularak kararı bozdu ve İstekli'ye iki ayrı suçtan 36 yıl hapis cezası verildi. Baba Gümüşel ise 18 yıl 9 ay ceza aldı." English gloss: The Court of Appeal found the sentence insufficient, overturned it, and sentenced İstekli to 36 years across two offenses; father Gümüşel received 18 years 9 months.
Medyascope (2023) '6 yaşındaki çocuğa cinsel istismar davasında karar: Kadir İstekli'ye 30, Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel'e 20, Fatıma Gümüşel'e 16 yıl 8 ay hapis cezası'. Available at: medyascope.tv (Accessed: 19 July 2026).: Turkish original: "İsmailağa Cemaati'ne bağlı Hiranur Vakfı'nın kurucusu Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel'in kızı H.K.G'nin altı yaşından itibaren cemaat mensubu bir yetişkin erkek tarafından cinsel istismara uğradığı; 13 yaşında nişanlandırılıp 14 yaşında dini nikahla evlendirildiği ortaya çıktı." English gloss: It emerged that H.K.G., the daughter of Hiranur Vakfı founder Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel (linked to the İsmailağa cemaat), was sexually abused from age six by an adult male member of the congregation, was engaged at 13, and married via religious rite at 14.

Source provenance

Source access and integrity log

This log records source retrieval and file integrity. It does not mean that an automated process independently confirmed every statement in the source.

Source and tier basis: https://haber.sol.org.tr/haber/hiranur-vakfinda-cinsel-istismar-davasi-tarikat-liderine-18-yil-muridine-36-yil-hapis-395174 Legacy citation preserved without a normalized source tier or evidentiary-role code. SHA-256 8d2b7c2fe3091e52bca545b29dcf5acd2ee0ab9deb64475ee1361d58afdaf51e
Retrieval: 2026-07-20 · Preserved; Bound by Fear automated source-preservation ledger
Source and tier basis: https://medyascope.tv/2023/10/23/6-yasindaki-cocuga-cinsel-istismar-davasinda-karar-kadir-istekliye-30-yusuf-ziya-gumusele-20-fatima-gumusele-16-yil-8-ay-hapis-cezasi/ Legacy citation preserved without a normalized source tier or evidentiary-role code. SHA-256 f4927433af870359d354582ba3c21890318f3c1720a121b238799ceefe898053
Retrieval: 2026-07-20 · Preserved; Bound by Fear automated source-preservation ledger

Named in this record? Request a correction, report a changed disposition, or submit a response.

Related record

Related cases · Islamic institutions and contexts

Browse all 121 Islamic institutions and contexts records

← Explore all cases