In Pursuit of Evidence, In Quest of Justice in Şule Çet Case

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A woman, who was just 23 years old... She was killed on the night of May 29, 2018, leaving a scream behind. Her 7-letter short name and 23-year short life have now turned into the scream of all women.

According to the bianet Male Violence Monitoring Report, 255 women were killed in 2018. Şule Çet was one of the killed women.

Being raped and thrown out of the 20th floor of a high-rise building by her former boss Çağatay Aksu and his friend Berk Akand, Şule Çet's death attempted to be registered as a "suicide."

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Aksu and Akand left the building only 18 minutes after Şule was thrown out of the window; the surveillance cameras show that the two murderers were shouting at each other; the blood samples found in the wash basin were photographed; several scars of assault were found on her body; the remnants found in the depth of her fingernails show that she tried to use her right of self-defense... However, though everything was blatantly obvious, the murder of Şule Çet wanted to be covered up with the label of suicide.

The first prosecutor who conducted the investigation did not demand the examination of blood samples found in the wash basin; Çağatay and Berk were only consulted as "informants." In other words, they were not even treated as suspects. Then, these two, who continued living among us for months, were arrested. When the day of the first hearing came, we saw that some people were doing their best to prevent the case from being solved.

In the first hearing, it was understood that for 9 months:

* The scene of incident was not examined by using a light source with different wavelengths to find biological traces such as sperm and blood,

* No biological or chemical examination was done on waste in trash bins,

* Though there were fresh and dry traces on tables, tea tables, wash basins and carpets, no biological or chemical examination was done on them,

* The underwear and pad/napkin taken off from Şule Çet's body were not recorded in the forensic autopsy report though they could be seen in the videos and photographs taken during the post-mortem examination and no examination was conducted on her underwear and pad/napkin inside it for traces of sperm, blood or saliva, either.

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'Missing Evidence' in a Case of Rape

Let us look at any lawsuit of rape. We know that when it is harassment or rape what is in question, women refrain from even mentioning it as a result of gender inequality and judgements of the society. It is always women who are questioned first by mechanisms of law enforcement and judiciary, which is undoubtedly the first reason for this refrainment.

For instance, in such a case, it is highly likely for a woman to be harassed by a police officer who would say to her, "But, sis, you wore that skirt, what are we supposed to say to him now?" or she is also very likely to be raped by police officers themselves at the police station. 

Or, let us imagine that she goes to court. She can also find herself in the position of a defendant, being suddenly told, "But, you wore underwear with such and such brand, there is provocation."

This and similar other points that we can elaborate on lead women to refrain from initiating a judicial process in the first place and cause the assaulters to go unpunished. When all these taboos are broken, harassment at police station is overcome and a judicial process is initiated at court, then, the burden of proof arises. You have to "prove" that you were raped!

Let us leave aside this subject which needs to be discussed in itself and turn to what constitutes evidence in cases of sexual assault and rape.

When it is the sexual abuse of a child what is in question, an underwear can sometimes be the basis for the whole bill of indictment.

While a woman has nothing to cite as "evidence" other than a ripped underwear, that evidence reveals the rapist.

In the case of Şule Çet, all those examinations were not conducted and, to top it all, they now say that the piece of evidence which would perhaps constitute the most important point in the file has gone "missing."

The Forensic Medical Institute is trying to worm its way out by alleging that the unexamined underwear of Şule Çet was among her possessions handed over to her family. When the records kept by Lawyer Umur Yıldırım during the handing-over revealed that the underwear was not given to the family, the court has lapsed into a deep silence.

Knowing that the ones who spoiled evidence in Ecem Balcı murder case were released on probation and state officials are trying to protect the murderers of 11-year-old Rabia Naz, will we really believe that the evidence in Şule's file "have just gone missing"?

Considering that what happened to Şule (can) happen to all of us, we can say that traces from the futures of all of us are hidden in that evidence.

We are aware that we cannot take a step towards the future before the past is brought into light and justice is served. When traces of PSA [prostatic specific antigen] were found and signs of rape were identified in various examinations conducted on her body, no one needs to have a law education or a competence in criminology to realize that the underwear in question is perhaps the most important evidence in the case file.

Of course, the reliability of evidence that would come/be brought to light after all this time raises a big question mark in minds.

But, in this case, which means justice for the whole public, the court has to begin with answering these questions:

* Can a piece of evidence that could give the most important findings in a case file be handed over to the family without being examined?

* Has any legal action been taken against the law enforcement officers and workers of the Forensic Medicine Institute who were accountable for the disappearance of underwear that was not handed over to the family?

* The first prosecutor of the case was dismissed after not allowing the examination of evidence. Is this prosecutor still on duty? What developments have occured in the investigation launched against this prosecutor?

#DelillerinPeşindeyiz (We are in pursuit of evidence)

This case is the future of all of us. Each and every judgement that will be given in cases of violence against women, harassment, rape and femicide will shed light on others. Being the voice of Şule means being a scream for our lives. It is for this very reason that we are in pursuit of evidence.

We are persistently and relentlessly asking for them and want all these evidence in the hearing on May 15. (CÇ/EMK/SD)