Court of Cassation upholds Nevin Yıldırım’s life imprisonment
"It doesn't go away when you wash; Nevin is looking at you"
* Photo: Çiçek Tahaoğlu / bianet
Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish
Nevin Yıldırım, who used to live in Korukaya village in Isparta's Yalvaç district, shot dead the man who subjected her to systematic sexual assault, beheaded him and threw his had to the village square.
Nevin Yıldırım was taken into custody on the day when the incident happened. She was arrested and sent to jail afterwards. 6 months pregnant at the time of the incident, Yıldırım gave birth to a girl on November 17. In 2015, she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
After an appeal was lodged against this ruling, the 1st Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation examined the file.
Following its examination, the 1st Penal Chamber filed a criminal complaint to identify the accomplices on the grounds that the crime could not possibly be committed by a single person considering the way in which the crime was committed and what the witnesses said.
Making the inquiries indicated by the Court of Cassation, the Yalvaç High Criminal Court handed down its ruling in 2018 and ruled that Yıldırım should be sentenced to life imprisonment for "wilful killing".
Appeal by the Court of Cassation
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation lodged an appeal in favor of Nevin Yıldırım and expressed the opinion that her prison sentence should be reduced due to unjust provocation.
As reported by Mevlüt Hasgül from Sabah newspaper, the Court of Cassation's General Assembly for Criminal Matters has examined the file and upheld the life sentence given to Nevin Yıldırım.
In the detailed ruling, it has been indicated that there was no unjust action of the victim against the defendant. The ruling has claimed that the defendant and the victim were in a consensual relationship and concluded that it cannot lead to a reduction of her sentence due to unjust provocation.
CLICK - Feminist lawyers apply to top court for Nevin Yıldırım
What happened?Nevin Yıldırım, the mother of two living in Koruyaka village in Isparta, was raped at gunpoint by 35-year old N.G., also father of two, on August 29, 2012. Following the rape, Yıldırım killed N.G. who raped her, put his head in a sack and threw the sack to the village square saying "Here is the head of the one who stained my honour". Yıldırım also got pregnant after the rape and was forced to give birth to the baby without her consent on November 7, 2012. She faced aggravated life imprisonment for "planned willful murder with atrocious feelings". A forensic medicine report confirming that Yıldırım's mental health was intact, was submitted to the court in November 2014. In March 2015, she was sentenced to life imprisonment. No abatement was imposed on her sentence. The appeal hearing was held on September 14 before the Supreme Court of Appeal 1st Penal Chamber. Yıldırım was defended by 25 woman attorneys. |
(EMK/SD)
