* Photo: Social media
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The trial of arrested defendant Cemal Metin A. and other defendants over the feminicide of university student Pınar Gültekin in Muğla continued at the Muğla 3rd High Criminal Court yesterday (January 24).
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Cemal Metin A. attended the hearing from prison via video conference by using the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) while the other defendants, namely the arrested defendant's brother Mertcan A., his ex-wife Eda K., father Selim A. and business partner Gökhan O. were present in the courtroom.
The report sent from the Third Supreme Board of the Forensic Medicine Institution was read out during the hearing yesterday. The panel of experts at the Institution has unanimously agreed that "based on the existing data, the person was subjected to the fire when she was alive."
The Gültekin family's lawyer Rezan Epözdemir said, "Pınar Gültekin was burned alive. So, there is killing with monstrous feelings."
The lawyers of the arrested defendant requested additional time to examine the forensic medical report on Pınar Gültekin.
The court board has ruled that the arrest of defendant Cemal Metin A. shall continue, the defendants and their lawyers shall be given time until the next hearing to prepare their defense statements as to the accusations, they shall make a statement as to the forensic medical report as well and the requests for the arrest of other defendants shall be rejected.
The court board has also rejected the defendant's and his lawyers' request for a report to be received from the forensic medicine institution and other hospitals and the evaluation of the WhatsApp messages. The next hearing will be held on February 14, 2022.
We will Stop Femicides Platform and some women's associations protested male violence with Pınar Gültekin's pictures in front of the courthouse.
What happened?
Pınar Gültekin (27), a student of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University in the Mediterranean region, was found dead on July 21, 2020, five days after she had gone missing. First Cemal Metin A., then his brother Mertcan A. have been arrested as part of the investigation into her death.
A lawsuit has been filed against Cemal Metin A. on charge of "killing with monstrous feeling or by tormenting" and against Mertcan A. for "destroying, hiding or tampering with criminal evidence."
While Cemal Metin A. now faces aggravated life sentence on the offense charged, his brother faces up to 5 years in prison.
Mertcan A. was released at his third hearing on February 15, 2021. Both the prosecutor's office and the attorney of the Gültekin family appealed against the defendant's release a day later. (EMK/SD)
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