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MELEK KARAASLAN AND THE DELAYED JUSTICE

29 Oct

Melek Karaaslan (24) had died due to domestic violence on July 25. Now, her husband, her father and her parent-in law were sued to life imprisonment.

Melek Karaaslan got married when she was 16. Ever since the beginning of her marriage, she suffered domestic violence. At the age of 18, she was forced to leave house by her husband and his family. She gave birth outside in the cold. Due to the extreme cold and the physical abuse, she gave birth to a dead baby. Even though Melek had tried to escaped her house and wanted to live with her own parents, her father asked her to be with her husband on the basis of the traditions. The violence did not stop. Melek Karaaslan fell to 30 kilos and lost her wits. On July 25, she had died as a result of the violence chain that she could not break on her own and could not get any help from her own parents.

For more information read here an article published at bianet.org

THE 15TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN

16 Oct

The 15th General Assembly of Women gathered in Izmir, Ozdere. An approximate number of 200 women attended to the meeting.

The main idea behind the meeting was ‘ we want equality not charity to struggle with the violence against women.’

A lot of women coming from various places of Turkey attended to the meeting which will last for three days and will be hosted by İzmir Kadın Dayanışma Derneği (Woman Solidarity Organization of Izmir). For the most part, participants focused on violence against women and criticised the attitude of government on right to abortion and right to ceasarean section.

 

The participants of the meeting:

Adana Akdam

Antalya Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

ÇEKEV İzmir Çiğli Evka 2 Kadın Kültür Derneği

Diyarbakır Selis

Elder Çanakkale

Ergani Selis

Gökkuşağı

İzmir Kadın Dayanışma Derneği

KADAV

Mersin Bağımsız Kadın Derneği

Mor Çatı Kadın Sığınağı Vakfı

Muş Kadın Derneği

VAKAD Van Kadın Derneği

 

INSPIRING ACTION AGAINST VIOLENCE

10 Oct

Get Up, Stand Up: inspiring action against violence.

a collaborative project by Hollaback! Istanbul & DreamTree Productions

 The Bibliotheca Multicultural Centre will host Get Up, Stand Up:  inspiring action against violence.  The event is organized by Canımız Sokakta: Hollaback! Istanbul & DreamTree Productions.

Get Up, Stand Up is a night of visual and performance art. The aim is to raise awareness and work toward ending harassment & violence in all its forms. Donations and proceeds will benefit local organisations that focus on ending physical and verbal violence.

Enjoy a night of artistic expression while helping your community.

Where:           Bibliotheca Multicultural Centre; Anadolu Sokak No: 23/6, Beyoğlu-Istanbul

When:            19 October 2012; 20.00-23.30

Tickets are 15TL- 12TL for students and can be purchased at the door.

If you want to be a performer on that night (poetry, singing, dance, music etc.) please contact with the adress below:

Contact: Kendra Tyre or Donna Banks
Email: dreamtree.prod@gmail.com
For more information click here.

RAPE DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF GALATASARAY

3 Oct

In Istanbul, Taksim, a wife of soldier began to demonstrate by claiming that she had been raped in Kağıthane police station by 3 police officers.

Reyhan Topal, graduated from law school, stated that she was running a car selling business with one retired policemen and police has opened a court case which claimed she was a fraud. She went to the police station to give her testament but after she was raped and tortured by 3 police officer in Kağıthane police station. Then she has taken to the Kağıthane Hospital but the doctor made his report without seeing her.

Topal said that the situation happened on 30th of August and she couldn’t get out of the shock for one week and when she went to the hospital after one week she could not proove she had been raped. She denunciated but since there was not a prosecutor the process has not been started yet.

Demonstration was supported by LGBTT groups. Topal staged a sit-in and police did not allow anyone else to pass.

 

For more information read here an article published at bianet.org

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST ABORTION BAN!

6 Sep

“Do not punish the woman who is exposed to rape, do punish the rapist! Let’s shorten up the procedures to protect women from painful processes of unwanted pregnancy.”

We invite all women to come to Taksim Square this Saturday, September 8th, at 1 p.m.!

Shout out your statement, give it to the public!

BANNER FOR Ö.Ç. IN TAKSIM SQUARE

6 Sep

“WE DO NOT ACCEPT A LAW THAT TOLERATES RAPES!”

There was a court in Sakarya, located in the eastern area of Istanbul, in 29th of August. It was about a gang rape committed by 34 men three months ago. The young girl is 14 years old. All the men are still suspected but after the court was postponed, all of them were set free. 

Feminists in Istanbul hung up a banner with the decisive message to show their protest against this decision : “We do not accept a law that tolerates rapes!” 

MALE VIOLENCE IN JULY 2012

15 Aug

Men killed 20 women, three other men and two children, injured 24 women, raped 11 and sexually harassed seven more in July, 2012, according to news reports compiled by bianet from local and national newspapers, news websites and agencies.

Women’s husbands turned out to be their worst nemesis, as they were most frequently the culprits in cases of murder and violence.

Istanbul topped the list in womens murders, while the northwestern province of Bursa saw the largest number of cases of violence toward women. The southern province of Antalya also witnessed incidents of rape more so than any other province.

For more information read here an article published at bianet.org

 

YOU DID NOT PROTECT FATMA!

2 Aug

Yesterday we, Istanbul Feminist Collective followed Fatma Şen’s case who fell down from the 4th floor because of her husband’s violence. Before this case, Fatma Şen went to the police station many times to ask for protection and even though she has a protection order, Esentepe Police Station did not manage to help her. Thus, she continued to be exposed to domestic violence.

In the end, he even wanted to force her to hang herself but then decided to use a knife instead. Trying to escape him, Fatma fell down from the balcony but luckily she survived.

Now she is still  in the hospital to be treated and may be she will not be able to walk again.

Her husband is in the jail waiting for his sentence “not for murder but for forcing her to attempt suicide.”

MEN KILL SEVEN WOMEN AND A FEMALE CHILD IN JUNE

17 Jul

Men killed seven women and a female child, raped eight women, injured nine and sexually harassed a dozen more in June 2012, according to bianet’s tally.

Men murdered seven women and a female child, injured nine women, raped eight and sexually harassed 12 more in June, according to news stories compiled by bianet from local and national newspapers, news sites and news agencies.

The victims’ husbands were the perpetrators in the largest number of cases.

Out of a total of eight incidents of rape, half occured at the victims’ homes where they were raped by men they already knew. Four women were raped in their homes and by men they already knew, out of a total of eight women raped in June. Sexual harassment, on the other hand, occured most frequently outdoors and at the workplace.

Men murdered a total of 78 women during the first half of 2012, injured or employed violence against 116, raped 49 and sexually harassed 88 women.

June 1:

Murder

*K.A. , 62, killed his ex-wife Gülsüm Ata and her daughter Sibel Akgül with a knife in their Ankara home after his ex-wife declined an offer to get back together. Gülsüm Ata’s neighbors said she had appealed to the police in connection with the death threats she received from K.A., but the police merely consoled her and sent her back home. Ata had established a security camera system around her apartment after recieving the approval of the management board of the apartment building.

Rape

*T.D. and A.Y. kidnapped a woman walking on the street and raped her in an open field in Ankara. The Sincan First Court for Serious Crimes sentenced the two perpetrators, who also stole the victim’s cell phone, wallet and 70 Turkish Liras, to nine years in prison.

June 2:

Rape

*Ç.Ç., 18, took his girlfriend H.B., 16, to a house, raped her and took her money through blackmail in the Black Sea province of Samsun. Ç.Ç. is currently on trial with a demand for 15 years of imprisonment.

June 3:

Violence begotten by violence

*S.N. killed her husband C.N. after he subjected her to violence in the southeastern province of Bitlis. S.N. is on trial without arrest at the Bitlis Court for Serious Crimes with a demand for five years of imprisonment.

June 4:

Sexual harassment

*O.Ç., 67, sexually harassed his 17 year old granddaughter at home while his son and daughter-in-law were away in Ankara. O.Ç. threatened his victim to keep silent but was later caught at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport while attempting to flee to Germany. He is currently on trial without arrest.

June 5:

Sexual harassment

*T.B., 26, sexually harassed E.Y., 22, who was waiting at a bus stop in the southern province of Adana. T.B. then began choking his victim after she reacted to him. T.B. is on trial with a demand for 10 years of imprisonment.

June 6:

Rape

*S.C., 22, a tourist in the southwestern province of Muğla, was raped by a stranger at the hotel room where she was staying. The investigation is still underway.

June 7:

Sexual harassment

*Ş.Ç., a director at the Education Directorate in Istanbul, sexually harassed four female staff members. He is currently standing trial with a demand for up to 13 years of imprisonment.

Violence

*B.S. first beat up his wife S.K., after she requested a divorce in Adana. B.S., who was married to his wife through a religious (unofficial) ceremony, then took her to a deserted location with an automobile and threw her there. The police is still on the hunt for B.S.

June 8:

Violence

*H.E., 23, first battered his wife E.E., 21, then wounded her with a knife in the central province of Konya. E.E. was taken to the Konya Training and Research Hospital, while law enforcement officials took H.E. under custody.

June 9:

Sexual harassment

*U.A., 33, a hotel vice manager, sexually harassed intern student B.D., 17, inside the elevator and the hotel restaurant in the Black Sea province of Samsun. Authorities later arrested U.A.

June 10:

Sexual harassment

*Y.D. sexually harassed women in the subway in Istanbul. He was caught red-handed and transferred to court.

June 15:

Violence

*E.D., 40, beat up his ex-wife A.H., 37, inside an apartment building in the southern province of Adana. The woman was taken to hospital, while the prosecutor’s office filed a suit against E.D. with a demand for one year in prison.

June 20:

Rape

*M.T. and M.Y. raped S.G. after she ran away from home and took refuge in their house in Ankara.

June 21:

Rape

*A man raped his eight month pregnant relative M.G., 16, in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa. Authorities placed the victim under protection, while the hunt is still on for the perpetrator.

June 22:

Violence

*M.Ü., 48, battered his ex-wife K.Ü., 37, out on the street in the Black Sea province of Kastamonu. The woman was taken to hospital, and authorities are still looking for M.Ü.

Violence and rape

*Officer E.İ., S.Ç. and N.Ş. raped nurse E.Ç. out on the street and battered her in the western province of Afyonkarahisar. The victims was taken to hospital, while the three men were taken under custody.

June 23:

Murder

*T.C., 33, beat his girlfriend Esin Tavaslı, 32, to death in the southwestern province of Muğla. Officials detained T.C.

Sexual harassment

*C.Y., 36, sexually harassed P.Y., 24, after he saw him on the street. Officials later caught him.

*H.Ç. sexually harassed a woman on the street in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ. Law enforcement officials caught him shortly thereafter and found out he had a criminal record.

June 24:

Murder

*D.K., 84, killed his wife Fatma K., 74, with an axe while she was asleep in the central province of Çorum. D.K. later confessed his crime to his neighbors and asked them to notify the police.

Violence and rape

*Prof. İ.H.Ö., 48, a dentist, raped his ex-wife Assistant Prof. E.N.Ö., 45, in Istanbul. Authorities subsequently launched an investigation.

June 25:

Violence

*Businessman E.M. beat his girlfriend C.A., a yoga teacher in Istanbul, and hit her on the head with a vodka bottle. He is currently on trial with a demand for five years in prison.

June 26:

Violence

*E.K., 32, beat and hospitalized his wife A.K., 30, on the grounds she had gone to the beach without his permission in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak. A court then ordered his arrest.

Sexual harassment

*T.Y., 19, followed and sexually harassed M.P., 49 inside an apartment building in the southern province of Antalya. Residents inside the building then caught him and turned him over to the police.

Violence begotten by violence

*H.K., 55, killed her husband B.K., 57, by hitting him on the head with a pickaxe after he subjected her to violence for years in Zonguldak. She is on trial with a demand for life imprisonment.

June 27:

Murder

*S.Ö., killed his wife Büşra Özer and his mother-in-law Nazmiye Cece with a pistol on the street after Büşra Özer requested a divorce on the grounds he had subjected her to violence in the northwestern province of Bursa. He subsequently committed suicide.

Sexual harassment

*A man in Istanbul sexually harassed D.U., a former model, before her home. D.U., however, attempted to stop him in his tracks through kick-box tecnhiques. The perpetrator then fled by a motorcycle.

June 28:

Murder

*A.Ç. shot his wife Hülya Ç., 30, with whom they had parted their homes, and his mother-in-law C.Ö., 60 with a pistol on the street in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Hülya Ç. passed away in hospital, while C.Ö. was still under treatment when the news broke out. The police is still on the hunt for A.Ç.

Rape

*U.T., 19, raped his girlfriend K.K., 17, in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ. Officials released him pending trial.

Sexual harassment

*A taxi driver in Istanbul sexually harassed G.O. while she was getting off the vehicle. Authorities subsequently launched an investigation.

Violence

*M.V. beat his wife A.V. on the street after she refused his offer to visit their relativeson the grounds he had been incessantly subjecting her to violence in Adana. Officials subsequently detained M.V.

*F.H.A. battered his ex-girlfriend D.K., 18, with whom they had been living together until a year ago in Adana. Officials took him under custody.

June 29:

Murder

*İ.E. tortured his daughter Z.D., 13, to death in the southeastern province of Gaziantep after he came out of prison.

 

For more information read here an article published at bianet.org

 

VICTORY FOR WOMEN AGAINST VIOLENCE FROM MEN

24 May

The Istanbul Feminist Collective followed another important case of gender-based violence.

Ayşe Yılbaş, a medical intern, was killed by her husband four years ago. He shot her multıple times in the hospital where she worked. They were in the process of getting a divorce, and he suspected her of cheating before the divorce was final. His suspicion turned out to be false, which still would not have justified his murder. There is strong evidence that the murder was planned, since he stalked her and revealed his intention to kill her during the friday noon call to prayer.

Yesterday, on the 23th of May, the judges made their final decision, sentencing him to life imprisonment. He wants to reduce his sentence on the basis that his wife’s alleged affair provoked his murder.

For the Feminist Movement in Turkey, this decision sets an important precedent.