The prosecution regarding the murder of Ayşe Paşalı started before the Ankara 1st High Criminal Court. Before Paşalı was killed by her divorced husband in the middle of the street, she had received dozens of death threats from her husband. She had applied for protection several times but her requests were rejected. The first hearing of the case was observed by almost 40 women lawyers, representatives of the Ankara Bar Association Board for Women Rights and women organizations and by Republican Peoples Party (CHP) member Ahmet Ersin from the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission.
Lawyers of the Women Solidarity Foundation and the Turkish Women Associations Federation applied for joint plaintiff status. Furthermore, four women lawyers submitted their individual applications for joint plaintiffship.
Ersin, member of the Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission and the Commission on Gender Equality held the state responsible for the death of Paşalı.
The hearing was attended by prime suspect İstikbal Yetkin, the victim's father Hüseyin Paşalı, her mother Zeliha and her brother Ahmet. Yetkin is facing an aggravated life sentence on charges of "premeditated murder".
Public officers should be tried as well
The statement of Yetkin could not be taken because he appeared at court without a lawyer. Ahmet Paşalı claimed that Yetkin had threatened his sister before the murder. He recalled that the suspect called him on the day of the murder and said, "I killed your sister. I threw her in the bushes. Come and get her". Zeliha Paşalı lamented, "My grief is enormous. I seek refuge in your justice".
The court board decreed to take İstikbal Yetkin's statement in the coming hearing. The requests for joint plaintiff status will be evaluated after the statement of the defendant will have been taken, the court decided.
The lawyers demanded to appoint a lawyer from the bar association. They emphasized that the testimonies of the Paşalı family members had to be taken before the interrogation of defendant Yetkin. Otherwise, the Court of Appeals might quash the verdict to be given by the high criminal court. The lawyers furthermore reminded the necessity of filing a criminal complaint against the public officers who paved the way to the murder with their negligence, the lawyers said.
The trial was adjourned to 8 February.
CHP member Ersin holds state responsible
Ersin explained that he attended the hearing upon a directive of CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. "This incidents is a painful example for the grade of insensitiveness of the state institutions regarding human rights and the right to life of women", Ersin criticized.
Ersin reiterated the fact that Paşalı had not received protection although she applied for protection many times to the police, the prosecutor and to court. "We would not be here today if the ones taking care of the issue, the institutions and the state had behaved in a sensitive manner. Ayşe Paşalı had no reassurance apart from the state. She was left to the justice of her killer while state was informed. The state might get a glimpse on the problem if they become aware of the fact that women are not unprotected and helpless and if they take effective measures to protect them. But with the present concept, this problem will persist", Ersin argued. (BB/VK)
