Two Years On, Bacca Murder Case Continues

A Kocaeli court postpones the case regarding the murder of Italian performance artist Giuseppina Pasqualino Di Morineo, known as Pippa Bacca, to April 22.

A man, Murat Karataş is on trial for raping and then murdering Bacca, who was traveling through Turkey, hitchhiking to Israel to draw attention to demands for peace.

Bacca's family lawyer Mehmet Eke had stated that a forensic medicine report provided evidence that the proprietors would be two or three people. During the last hearing, suspect Karataş changed his testimony and claim three others stopped his car and kidnapped Bacca and himself. Previously, he had confessed to the killing.    

The court had demanded the CCTV recordings of the murder area. Nevertheless, the police responded that they terminate the recording after 45 days, lawyer Meriç Eyüboğlu told bianet. Moreover, a list of calls from the suspect's phone is yet to be provided by telecom operators. 

Activists from Women for Women's Human Rights-New Ways Association joined the hearing and applied the court for involvement in the case. Their demands were turned down on grounds that they didn't suffer directly from the alleged crime.  

"We'll continue following the cases involving women's murders; even if the courts don't recognize it," said Eyüboğlu.

Feminist groups' candidate for mayor in Beyoğlu, Ülfet Taylı also joined the hearing. "Streets are not safe for women and we demand that this is changed," she said. 

Bacca's sister, Antonia Giusepinna Beatrice Pasgualina Di Morineo was also in court today. She expressed pleasure from the activists' support.(EZÖ/AGÜ)