Academic's Sentence for Sexual Assault Reduced Because 'It Could Affect his Future'
*"We are not safe in the campus," a banner reads in a student protest.
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The case against Assoc. Prof. M.N.M. for sexually assaulting Assistant Prof. T.Ö. at Namık Kemal University has been concluded at the 1st Penal Court of First Instance in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ.
Both academics and their lawyers were present at the verdict hearing.
T.Ö. stated in the hearing that her complaint against the defendant continues and requested his punishment.
Speaking after her, M.N.M. said, "I didn't sexually harass her. I don't have a problem with my wife. This woman became friends with me, then defamed me. I don't accept allegations. I want my acquittal."
Announcing its verdict, the court ruled that N.M.M. shall be sentenced to 2 years in prison for "sexual assault." It increased the sentence by half because the defendant "misused the influence that comes from public service relations," and ruled for a 3-year prison sentence.
The court then reduced the sentence to 2 years and 6 months considering "the behavior and attitude of the defendant during the trial period," and "possible effects of the sentence on the future of the defendant."
The court also sentenced the defendants to 3 months in prison for "disturbing the peace," and reduced that sentence to 2 months and 15 days for the same reason.
Lawyers criticized the decision, asking why the court did not think about the sexually assaulted woman's future. (EMK/VK)
Editor of bianet Women’s News (2018). Editor of bianet Women’s and LGBTI+ News from October 2018 to February 2025. She conducts workshops on gender-focused journalism and reporting on gender-based violence. She is among the founders of the Women and LGBTI+ Commission of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS). She is a board member of the TGS Istanbul Branch for the 2023–2027 term. She received the Musa Anter Journalism Award in 2011 and the Turkish Psychiatric Association’s Best News Award in 2024. She worked as a reporter for Cumhuriyet, BirGün, İMC TV, DİHA, Jinha, and Jin News, and also worked for local newspapers in Rize. Her news reports and articles have been published in Sivil Sayfalar, Yeşil Gazete, Journo, and trade magazines. She is one of the founding writers of GOR, a Hemşin culture magazine. She contributed writings to the books Yeşilden Maviye Karadenizden Kadın Portreleri, Sırtında Sepeti, and Medya ve Yalanlar. She was a bianet intern in 2000. She graduated from the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University.
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