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The verdict has been reached in the trial of two soldiers accused of raping Afghan national L.M. after taking her to the border to deport her in the Saray district of Van.
In the incident that occurred on January 3, contract soldiers O.K. and A.C.D. separated a 25-year-old woman from the group of 8 individuals they had taken to the border. The soldiers raped the woman and forced her away from the border.
L.M. crying out for help at the border
The soldiers who threw stones at the woman to keep her away from the border later returned to the police station. Some time after the soldiers left, L.M. returned to the border and cried out for help.
L.M. spoke with the police station commander and told him that she had been raped.
After L.M.'s diagnosis and the findings of sexual assault, soldiers O.K. and A.C.D. were taken into custody on January 6 and were subsequently arrested on the same day.
No mitigation circumstances, sentence aggravated
No "mitigating circumstances" were considered in the verdict and the sentence was increased
Van 5th Heavy Penal Court sentenced the soldiers charged with "simple assault against a woman," "aggravated sexual assault," and "deprivation of liberty" at the hearing held on June 8.
The court sentenced O.K. to 15 years in prison for the crime of "aggravated sexual assault."
Due to the circumstances of "misuse of public office" and "recidivism," the court increased the sentence by half for O.K., imposing a total of 28 years, 1 month, and 15 days in prison for him. O.K. was sentenced to 9 more years in prison for the crime of "deprivation of liberty,".
As for A.C.D., the court sentenced him to 22 years for "aggravated sexual assault," 9 years for "deprivation of liberty," and 10 months for "intentional injury." The court decided that no "mitigating circumstances" should be taken into account for the defendants. The defendants were ordered to remain in custody.
The court also provided the reasoning for the verdict, referencing reports from Van Training and Research Hospital, Van Forensic Medicine Department, Saray State Hospital, and Diyarbakır Regional Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate, as well as witness statements. (RT/PE)
