There are women, who have to kill men to protect themselves when they face violence, rape, and death. Melek İpek is one of these women, who used their right to self-defense. “A woman defends herself, her children, and her life. She protects her life. Male violence is systematic. Men think they have the right to kill women as the actors of the male-dominant system. Women's self-defense is the exception like Melek, Çiğdem, and Nevin. The state must redeem itself by releasing Melek,” says feminist activist Hasbiye Günaç about the women who had to kill in order not to be killed and who stands by their lives.

News Center- Women have been systematically subjected to violence by their husbands, fathers, and brothers. Many women have to kill in order to not be killed. Women are subjected to physical violence and sexual abuse, particularly by their husband during their marriage. Yasemin Çakal, Nevin Yıldırım, Çilem Doğan, Semra Özata, Havva Zor, Name Öztürk, and Melek İpek... This list can be extended. There are also women who are never talked about. Many of them get a reduced prison sentence.  Nevin Yıldırım was sentenced to life imprisonment. Women who resist male violence, such as Yasemin, Melek, Havva, and Nevin had to kill their rapists in order to defend their children and themselves against male violence. Their acts are self-defense because they had to seek their own justice in the lack of alternative formed by the existing violence.

Laws being enforced for men don’t be enforced for women

Women cannot act to maintain “good behavior” like men while imprisoned. Laws that have been enforced for men don’t be enforced for women. Families and state make women, who had to kill to protect themselves against male violence invisible. Their voice is not heard. They went to police stations many times but they were sent back unprotected. Name Öztürk said;

“I was covered in blood and I was pregnant. A police officer came close to me and said ‘You are pregnant’. I thought he felt pity for me but then he told me, ‘You cannot meet your husband's needs. We see many domestic violence incidents during that period.’ That police officer was no different from the man who used violence against me.”

“Women kill to protect themselves”

Self-defense is women’s struggle to survive! Feminist activist Hasbiye Günaçtı points out that self-defense is the last chance for women when they have been subjected to violence endured rape and faced death for years and she says, “Women don’t kill men just to kill them. They kill to get rid of male violence. They kill to not be killed. Why do men kill? They kill to control women, to destroy women, to get revenge on women ad to punish women. Women don’t kill men to punish them. They kill men to protect themselves.”

Women have no power but solidarity

Hasbiye Günaçtı points out that women's defense of their own lives is an individual stand and she adds, “ because women have no weapons, brute force and social support. Women have no power but solidarity. Hasbiye Günaçtı says that Melek İpek should be acquitted, “A woman defends herself, her children and her life. She protects her life. Male violence is systematic. Men think they have the right to kill women as the actors of the male-dominant system. Women's self-defense is the exception like Melek, Çiğdem, and Nevin. The state must redeem itself by releasing Melek. The ministry of the family must redeem itself. They must say, ‘Melek, we couldn’t protect you’. Why do women like Melek don’t have any other way? Unless the state cannot answer this question, the state must acquit her for defending her life by using her right to self-defense.”

Mentioning that women have been sentenced to life imprisonment and they cannot benefit from sentence reduction while men are given sentence reduction and unjust provocation, Hasbiye Günaçtı says, “Men don’t face anything deterrent. The state, which cannot protect women, should immediately take some preventive measures against men. Today, the state speaks very harshly against women seeking rights but makes no statements against men who kill women every day. Men who kill women are publicly approved.”

Çilem Doğan

She killed her husband trying to force her into prostitution in Adana province of Turkey. She began to face violence after 28 days of her marriage. She applied to police stations many times before killing her husband but police officers did not do anything. In the end, Çilem had to kill her husband Hasan Karabulut trying to force her into prostitution. Çilem Doğan was arrested. Women supported her while she was held in prison for nine months and they keep their solidarity with her after she was released. 

Nevin Yıldırım

In August 2012, Nevin Yıldırım killed her husband Nurettin Gider systematically raped her in Koruyaka village of Isparta’s Yalvaç district. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Nevin is still behind bars.

Name Öztürk

Name Öztürk killed Kazım Aydemir, who had used systematic violence against her since the day she got married. She had to kill him to protect herself while Kazım Aydemir was trying to kill her. She was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison but then she was released.

A petition campaign for Melek İpek

A petition campaign has been launched for Melek İpek on change.org. A member of Solidarity Platform, Şule Çet announced the campaign on her social media account. 

(Özgür Kaya)