Pelin Kaya’s body returned to Turkey

The body of Pelin Kaya was returned back to Turkey on Saturday evening, her family have announced.

“Her mother and father are awaiting her arrival, since they were too devastated to travel to Malta. Pelin will be buried in Turkey, where she was born,” a statement by the family read. “

Kaya was killed an hour into her 30th birthday last Thursday, when a black BMW rammed into her and killed her while walking in front of the Paul & Rocco petrol station in Gżira at 1am.

The car crashed through the glass front of the KFC restaurant next door.

Video has since emerged of the BMW heading directly towards her, prompting police to charge the driver, Jeremie Camilleri, with murder. Camilleri has plead not guilty to murder charges.

READ ALSO: Pelin Kaya is victim of fatal Gżira car crash

During a vigil last Friday, family members said that her death was not an accident, but a murder.

“She chose Malta over us maybe, but we know Pelin loves us so much as well,” her uncle said. “We believe he will get the punishment he deserved with the support of the Maltese community.”

Mourners at a vigil held last Friday on the site where Kaya was killed

A tearful crowd applauded at the end of the vigil as the rain started to drizzle down. Mourners began to chant “Pelin, Pelin!” in unison.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the family said the vigil was a “significant moment” for them, and are grateful for the solidarity showed to them by the Maltese.

“Pelin left Malta dead, but our belief that the justice will be done remains alive. We will fight in Pelin’s name so who interrupted her wonderful life will get what he deserves and can no longer harm anyone else,” they said.

Announcing her return on Saturday evening, the family said it would like to thank the Maltese authorities for their full cooperation so that the body could be transported to Turkey only a few days after Pelin died.

“Particularly, we thank the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade and the Government of Malta for their commitment to covering all the funeral expenses, including the transportation. We would like to thank our legal team in Malta, Dr Shazoo  Ghaznavi and his team, as well as our Turkish advisors at Harmancı & Partners. We thank also the Turkish embassy in Malta and the Maltese Embassy in Turkey for their assistance,” they said.