One discharged, three released on bail over Kaepaz donkey massacre

One suspect was discharged without a case and the other three were bailed on Wednesday following their arrest over the fatal shooting of 16 donkeys in Karpaz, north Cyprus last month.

All four men were brought before court in Iskele on Wednesday morning, with a police representative telling the court about the circumstances surrounding the arrest of all four suspects.

The police prosecutor said that the guns belonging to the 54-year-old and the 27-year-old suspects had cartridges “resembling the cartridges used in the incident”, that the 39-year-old suspect’s gun was missing its barrel, and that the 41-year-old suspect failed to present his gun to the police.

However, the police said, it was determined that there was no connection between the 54-year-old suspect and the incident, and as such, he was released.

The 27-year-old was charged with harming animals, illegally possessing explosives, and illegally possessing firearms, and was ordered to sign a bond worth 500,000TL for his release.

The 41-year-old and the 39-year-old were both charged with failing to properly secure a firearm and were both handed bails worth 5,000TL.

The Tashkent nature park had said that initial findings had determined that the animals were shot and killed at close range.

Later, the Turkish Cypriot police announced that the autopsies of the donkeys had been completed, and that it had been determined that all of them had been shot with a hunting rifle.

It was also revealed that the donkeys’ killers will not face jail, given that when the north’s animal welfare law was due to be updated last month, it was sent back to the ‘parliamentary’ legal committee by the ruling coalition after objections were raised over the criminalisation of cock fighting.

As such, the most severe possible punishment for the shooter or shooters, if and when they are found, is a fine of 173,876TL