Man Who Exposed Erzincan Dog Burial Allegations Faces Criminal Trial While Municipality Avoids Prosecution

When footage emerged from Erzincan Municipality in February 2025, it shocked animal lovers across Türkiye.

Videos circulating on social media showed municipal workers disposing of dogs in a burial pit. In one clip, a dog destined for the pit runs away. In another, a dog appears to escape from the pit itself. The footage prompted widespread allegations that some animals had been buried alive.

Now, more than a year later, the legal outcome has taken an unexpected turn.

The municipality will not face prosecution. Instead, one of the men who helped bring the allegations to public attention, animal rights advocate İbrahim Kaya, now faces criminal proceedings alongside former municipal worker Erdal Gezeroğlu, who says he filmed the events after hearing dogs while working at the municipal waste facility.

The Municipality’s Response

Initially, Erzincan Municipality reportedly denied that the footage related to its operations.

Days later, however, the municipality announced that it had launched administrative and legal proceedings, suspending its Veterinary Affairs Director and other relevant personnel while an investigation was carried out. The municipality stated that the process would be conducted transparently.

Further footage subsequently emerged appearing to show dogs being dragged and thrown into municipal vehicles, alongside claims that dogs were being killed within the shelter.

The videos themselves cannot establish how the animals died. Nevertheless, the apparent number of dead dogs and the presence of animals apparently capable of movement prompted widespread concern among veterinarians, animal welfare organisations and members of the public.

The Investigation

The criminal investigation ultimately concluded with a decision not to prosecute the municipality.

According to reports, prosecutors relied on an examination of an exhumed dog and concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish that animals had been buried alive, poisoned or deliberately killed.

That decision does not amount to a judicial finding that the allegations were false. Rather, it reflects the prosecutor’s conclusion that the available evidence did not meet the threshold required to bring criminal charges.

The Legal Focus Shifts

Attention has now shifted away from the municipality and towards those who exposed the allegations.

İbrahim Kaya and former municipal employee Erdal Gezeroğlu are now due to stand trial on allegations relating to their public dissemination of the claims.

The development has prompted concern among animal welfare advocates, who argue that the case risks shifting attention away from the underlying questions raised by the original footage.

Questions That Remain

More than a year after the videos first emerged, important questions remain unanswered. How did dogs apparently capable of movement come to be transported alongside deceased animals?

What records exist for the dogs shown in the videos? How many animals were involved?

What conclusions were reached by the municipality’s own internal investigation after staff were suspended?

What is beyond dispute is that the footage prompted one of the most controversial municipal animal welfare investigations in Türkiye following the introduction of the country’s revised street dog law, and that the legal proceedings are now focused not on the municipality itself, but on two of the people who helped bring the allegations into public view.