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Actress Hazal Kaya is facing possible imprisonment for "insulting" a now-dismissed military official who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and driving her to suicide.
Kaya is accused of "openly insulting a person with an audio, written or video message," which carries a maximum sentence of 2 years and 4 months in prison.
The case centers around the death of İpek Er, an 18-year-old woman who died in the hospital in August 2020 while in treatment after attempting to kill herself. Er had written in a letter that Musa O., a specialist sergeant working in Siirt, southeastern Turkey, had sexually assaulted her. Musa O.'s trial for "qualified sexual assault" is currently ongoing at the Siirt 1st Heavy Penal Court.
Ezgi Mola, another actress, was also accused of insulting Musa O. on social media, resulting in a criminal complaint being filed against her. In May 2022, Mola was sentenced to pay an administrative fine of 6,000 Turkish liras for "insult."
Kaya subsequently expressed support for Mola on social media, leading to Musa O. filing a criminal complaint against her as well. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has now indicted Kaya for her posts.
Kaya's statement
The testimony of Kaya was also included in the indictment. In her statement, Kaya said that the suicide of 18-year-old young woman İpek Er affected her just like everyone else:
"It was a case that wounded the public conscience. Following this appalling incident, the sexual abuse allegation was supported by both forensic reports and the content of the file, and Musa O.'s release despite those shook my faith in justice like everyone else."
"It was announced that my actress friend Ezgi would be put on trial for insult. And I rebelled against this situation and posted the tweet in question.
"I read İpek's letter detailing the sexual abuse she had suffered and began with the words 'Musa destroyed my dreams, my life, my hopes, he stained me and shattered my world' multiple times."
"I cannot understand neither on the day I posted the tweet nor now how someone who has used the position and status provided by the state to take away a young girl's hopes for life and push her towards death can be so sensitive and fragile when it comes to their honor and dignity. I do not think I am part of a legal system that considers calling a rapist a rapist a crime."
Kaya stated that she did not accept the charges against her.
What happened?
Having committed suicide in Turkey's southeastern province of Batman, İpek Er lost her life 34 days later, on August 18, 2020, while she was in treatment at hospital. Having left a letter behind, she said that gendarmerie officer Musa O. had sexually assaulted her.
On duty in Siirt province, Musa O. was indicted by the Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the indictment was accepted by the Siirt 1st Heavy Penal Court. O. is now facing a minimum of 12 years in prison on charge of "aggravated sexual assault." While Musa O. was not arrested pending trial, the incident caused a huge public backlash, especially on social media.
Actress Ezgi Mola was also one of the hundreds of people who protested on social media. On August 20, 2020, she wrote on Twitter, "Drown in your conscience that has freed the rapist bastard. You have taken everything from us, the law, prayers, wishes, desires, requests, hopes!! What should I say! Shame on you! Shame on you!! #ArrestMusaOrhan."
Mehmet Erkan Akkuş, the attorney of Musa O., applied to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and filed a criminal complaint about this social media post. Mola was indicted upon his criminal complaint on charges of "insult with audio, written or visual message" and "insult".
Facing up to 2 years, 4 months on the offenses charged, Ezgi Mola's indictment was accepted by the Ankara 31st Criminal Court of First Instance. After the lawsuit was reported in the press, it also sparked an outrage on social media, several people expressed support for Mola. (EMK/VK)
