A Turkish prosecutor opened a new case over the alleged abuse of a Ukrainian orphan, indicating that abuse allegations involving Ukrainian orphans sheltered in Turkey could extend beyond previously known cases, according to the Agos daily.
The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the charges concern the alleged abuse of a 17-year-old girl by two minors. The announcement follows earlier reports that Turkish prosecutors had closed a separate investigation into allegations that two Ukrainian orphans — then aged 15 and 16 — were repeatedly raped and impregnated by staff while staying at a hotel in the Beldibi district of Antalya.
The children had been placed in the hotel under the “Childhood Without War” project run by a private foundation established by a Ukrainian businessman.
Prosecutors closed the earlier investigation due to “insufficient evidence,” and an appeal by the family ministry was rejected. Ukraine’s parallel investigation was also shut down in June 2025 on the same grounds.
After the news became public, 59 bar associations issued a joint statement, saying allegations were not properly investigated. They called for the investigation files to be reopened immediately, insisting that the process must be transparent and free from any pressure. They also called for legal and administrative action to be taken against officials who may have been negligent in handling the case.
The bar associations also said effectively covering the case up “violates the State’s obligation to conduct an effective investigation and the mandatory provisions of international conventions.”
