MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed - A Turkish court has used the provision of “unjust provocation” to reduce the jail term of Cemal Metin Avcı, who brutally killed Pınar Gültekin in 2020 and then burned her body. The court decision sparks anger among women across Turkey. The women of Diyarbakır think Cemal Metin Avcı is awarded by the court. “This court decision shows us once again that woman killing is political,” they told NuJINHA.  

“More women will be killed if we do not unite”

Mukaddes Alataş, a member of the Rosa Women’s Association, thinks that the court decision damages the public conscience. “This decision deepens women's distrust of the law. The reduced sentence granted to a man, who brutally killed a woman shows us once again that woman killing is political. There is a patriarchal system and organizational structure causing women to be killed. More women will be killed if we do not question this system and unite. This court decision damages the public conscience and it is a serious threat for women,” she told NuJINHA.

“We should exhibit a strong stance”  

Emphasizing that the court decision determines the side of both the law and the system, Mukaddes Alataş said, “In fact, we should determine our side against it and exhibit a strong stance. The Istanbul Convention and the Law to Protect the Family and Prevent Violence Against Women (No. 6284) must be implemented. Do women always have to be on the alert and struggle in Turkey? Shouldn't a legal system be formed against this order? The rule of law is a must for social states. But unfortunately, we, as women, do not feel safe in Turkey due to the increase in femicide cases in the last 20 years. Everyone should speak out against femicide and gender-based violence because this increase is a threat against everyone.”

Berivan Öztürk, a member of the Women State of Solidarity Association, said that the concerns of women have increased after the court decision and that Turkey is not a safe place for women anymore especially after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Underlining that the recent court decisions in femicide cases are not legal but political, Berivan Öztürk said, “As women, we do not feel safe in Turkey because this court decision encourages men to kill women. This court decision jeopardizes the women’s right to life. This decision is a political decision.”

“All kinds of mechanisms are used to acquit men”

Lawyer Gözde Engin also commented on the court decision and said, “I did not feel safe in Turkey before this court decision. The latest developments, especially Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, make me feel more uneasy. There is no positive development in judicial decisions. Because the patriarchal system, state and judiciary use all means and mechanisms to acquit men. Today, killers of women go unpunished while women defending women’s rights face jail sentences. This impunity also causes the increase in femicide and gender-based violence.”