Sibel asks, ‘Why is this man not arrested pending trial?’

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"The Forensic Medical Report is quite clear. We got another report from the Çapa Faculty of Medicine, that report also referred to findings of sexual assault. But, the courts in Turkey, unfortunately, file a lawsuit only after the Forensic Medical Report is issued. In the meantime, the aggrieved woman was forced to suffer for another year, because the lawsuit was not filed.

"Now, according to the Forensic Medical Report, Sibel was subjected to sexual assault; it is once again revealed that her mental health has suffered.

"We also think that trial without arrest is essential. But, here, the offense committed by Mutlu E. is among catalogue offenses and as long as he is outside, he can also harm other women any time.

"Now, this man has got away with the crimes he committed. The aggrieved one is being punished while there are even no judicial control measures issued for the male defendant."

It is how Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair and lawyer Eren Keskin talks about the situation of Sibel Y.

As reported by bianet on November 17, 2020, Sibel Y. announced that Mutlu E., who lives in Milas in Muğla province and whom she met for a job interview on March 3, abducted, tortured and sexually assaulted her. The man also reportedly forced Sibel Y. to do sex work.

Sibel Y. seeks justice by herself

After she escaped from Mutlu E., Sibel Y. applied to legal authorities as she wanted him to be penalized for what he had done to her. Almost like a prosecutor, she collected evidence, found voice records and looked for camera footage. She also tried to make her voice heard on social media under the hashtag "Sibel'in sessiz çığlığı" (the silent cry of Sibel).

After the issue was reported in the press, her struggle for justice has borne fruit as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs brought it to the Parliamentary agenda and the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services provided her with protection.

'He should be arrested pending trial'

After her lawyer Eren Keskin applied to the Bodrum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and filed a criminal complaint, Mutlu E. has been indicted after months. The indictment demands that Mutlu E. be convicted of "aggravated sexual assault" and "blackmail."

The date of the first hearing has not yet been announced. But Keskin thinks that the lawsuit against Mutlu E. is also an important step in this file.

"What needs to be done after this is to arrest Mutlu E," says Keskin, drawing our attention to the following points:

"Forensic medical reports and evidence prove sexual assault. Moreover, as long as this man is outside, the lives of other women are also in danger.

"The evidence and reports cited in the indictment require this man's arrest pending trial. As long as this man is outside, both my client Sibel and other women are at grave risk.

"What the judiciary needs to do from now on is to arrest this man and continue with his trial in this way. There are even no judicial control measures on him. And this poses other risks..."

Forensic Medicine Institution report

Moreover, according to the Forensic Medical Institution Report prepared by the Muğla Training and Research Hospital, it has been confirmed that Sibel was subjected to torture, sexual assault and battery.

The conclusion of the report has emphasized that Sibel's sexual inviolability was violated, adding that the attacks of Mutlu E. "caused Sibel Y.'s health and perception ability to be harmed to such an extent that such harm cannot be eliminated with a simple medical intervention."

This finding also confirms that Sibel Y. waged a struggle for not only justice  in this period but for her health as well. (EMK/SD)