Leyla Eser Onlu, wife of Medet Onlu, Honorary Consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Turkey who was killed in Ankara in May of 2013 has claimed that her husband was shot while under surveillance by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the National Police Department Intelligence Unit.

Medet Onlu, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria’s honorary consul in Turkey, was shot dead on May 22, 2013 in Ankara. His wife Leyla Eser Onlu has filed a petition with the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office, in which she argues that her husband was killed because he was fighting against recruitment of Chechens to join the Syrian war. Family lawyer Erdal Dogan has said the family has asked the prosecutor for the immediate apprehension of the two prime suspects in the murder, who have been identified based on CCTV footage: Russian national Rizvan Ezbulatov and a Turkish citizen identified as E.G. The family has also asked for an investigation of potential negligence on the part of the Turkish intelligence units.

In a hand-written petition, Leyla E. Onlu said: “I married Medet Onlu in 1989. A few years later on our marriage, the Russian-Chechen war started. We are the descendents of Chechen families who were exiled from the Caucasus 150 years ago. This is why we have never been indifferent to the struggle of our fellow Chechens for independence. Starting in the early years of the war, we helped many Chechen refugees in Turkey who faced problems finding shelter, education and health services. My husband Medet Onlu, who gave unyielding support to the Chechen cause of independence, was a prominent figure in all undertakings carried out for this cause, both in Turkey and in other parts of the world. Because he was able to establish good relationships, influence people and unite those around him, he became the key figure for the Chechen cause in Turkey. Additionally, the president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria gave him the title of honorary consul in 2005. He was an activist fighting to ensure that people gain fundamental rights. He has never been part of any illegal or unethical acts. He has always fulfilled his responsibilities as a Muslim and a Turkish citizen.”

In her letter, she also stated that despite her husband’s pristine record as an exemplary citizen, the family had always been under the surveillance of Turkish intelligence units. “In every neighborhood we moved into, intelligence research on us was conducted by questioning our neighbors and the local residents.”

The report quoted her as saying that her husband was killed in broad daylight in Ankara while being watched by Turkish intelligence agents. She said it is a “saddening situation” that the perpetrators of the assassination and the individuals supporting them have still not been captured, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the murder. She said it is “shameful” for the intelligence agencies and “suspicious” in the eyes of the victim’s family.

She argued that her husband was killed because of his opposition to Chechen youth being “used as pawns” in the Syrian war.

Family lawyer Erdal Dogan said it has become clear that Onlu was under close surveillance by state police and intelligence officers, and that it is impossible that MIT and the National Police Department’s Intelligence Unit would have been unaware of plots to assassinate him. He demanded an investigation into the potential negligence of state officials.

He said people close to Ezbulatov — who appears to have left Turkey on May 24, 2013, two days after the assassination — and his Turkish liaison, E.G., who met him when he arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport late on the night of May 17, 2013, have not yet been thoroughly investigated. The lawyer demanded the immediate seizure of the two suspects and asked whether MİT and the police force have shared information they have on these individuals with the prosecution.