Actor Kural Sentenced to Prison for Committing Violence Against Musician Gençoğlu

*Photos: Twitter

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Actor Ahmet Kural has been sentenced to 16 months and 20 days in prison in the case he was being tried for committing the offenses of "threat, insult, and willful injury" against singer Sıla Geçoğlu, whom he was in a relationship with.

Kural and Gençoğlu attended the hearing at the İstanbul 60th Penal Court of First Instance with their attorneys.

The court rejected the requests of Kural's attorneys of hearing witnesses, an examination at the scene of incident and recusation of the judge.

Kural: "I am innocent"

Kural's attorney Sibel Aydın said his client's right to a fair trial was violated. When asked about his last words, Kural said, "I am innocent. I request my acquittal. A drug test should be conducted on both of us."

After the break, the court ruled that Kural shall be sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison for "threatening," 5 months for "insult," and 4 months 5 days for "insult." It suspended the sentences.

"He may go to prison"

Gençoğlu's attorney Rezan Epözdemir said, "When this verdict becomes definite, he may go to prison with the 10-month sentence he was given for drugs."

Gençoğlu: "Judiciary is fair"

Sıla Gençoğlu spoke to journalists after the hearing, saying, "the judgment is fair."

"It was a difficult period. No matter how strong you are, staying solid is not easy. Today, justice emboldened me. Staying silent is not a good idea. I want everybody to be courageous and valiant. I am of the opinion that the judiciary is fair.

What happened?

Sıla Gençoğlu filed a complaint at the İstanbul Courthouse on November 1, 2018, alleging that Ahmet Kural used physical violence against her.

Kural gave a testimony at the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. After his testimony, he said, "I trust the Turkish justice. I say to those who smear and make extrajudicial executions: Being unjust is more painful than being treated unjustly."

"The prosecutor demanded a prison term from 1 year and 4 months to 5 years for Kural in the bill of indictment it announced on December 19, 2018.

About Sıla Gençoğlu

Born in the province of Denizli, she first moved to İzmir, then İstanbul for her education. She received education on jazz music at the Bilgi University. For many years, she was a backing vocalist for famous pop musician Kenan Doğulu. She also received many awards during her solo career.

Gençoğlu was lynched on social media by pro-government users after she called a joint rally in İstanbul after the July 2016 coup attempt "a show," and said she won't participate in that. After this statement, the state-run broadcaster TRT stopped airing her music clips.

About Ahmet Kural

Kural graduated from the Selçuk University Department of Radio and Television and took his master's degree from Bilkent University. He played in the movie Güneşin Oğlu (Son of the Sun) in 2008. Since then, he played in many movies and television series.

(EMK/VK)