MALE VIOLENCE / FEMINICIDE
Defendant Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Emine Bulut Case
* Photo: sendika.org
Click to read the article in Turkish (1) (2)
The trial of Fedai Varan, who stabbed his ex-wife Emine Bulut to death in front of their 10-year-old daughter, continued with his second hearing at the Kırıkkale 1st Heavy Penal Court today (October 21).
CLICK - Last Words of Emine Bulut on Social Media: I Don't Want to Die
After the prosecutor of the case announced his opinion as to the accusations and demanded that the defendant be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, the court has announced its verdict and ruled that Fedai Varan shall be sentenced to life imprisonment on charge of "willful killing". "There is no premeditation or killing with monstrous feeling", the court has concluded.
Chief Public Prosecutor's Office will lodge an appeal
After the Kırıkkale 1st Heavy Penal Court has ruled that Fedai Varan shall be sentenced to life imprisonment, the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has released a written statement later in the day and announced that it will appeal against the ruling of the court.
Referring to the paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Article 82/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has indicated that the defendant should have been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.
Women's Defense Network: We want to live
Pronouncing his opinion as to the accusations in the previous hearing as well, the prosecutor demanded that Varan be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment without any sentence reduction.
CLICK - Last Words of Emine Bulut on Social Media: I Don't Want to Die
CLICK - Bulut Asked For Help from Police Before Being Murdered
Today's hearing wasattended by Fedai Varan, who faces aggravated life sentence on for "premeditated murder with monstrous feeling", the parents and family of Emine Bulut and several lawyers.
Mikail and Bekir Bulut, the arrested brothers of Emine Bulut, attended the hearing via Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS).
Police have taken security measures
While several lawyers from various provinces intervened in the case, several women from various non-governmental organizations also followed the hearing. Police took security measures inside and outside the courthouse and did identity checks.
The prosecutor pronounced the opinion as to the accusations, demanding that a public action be taken against defendant Fedai Varan, no discretionary mitigation be applied, Varan be deprived of his certain rights and his arrest continue.
Lawyers of Bulut family: Don't mitigate his sentence
Responding to the opinion as to the accusations pronounced by the prosecutor, the lawyer of Bulut family requested that the defendant be sentenced to prison without any sentence-mitigation, underlining that the defendant was trying to have a sentence reduction.
The lawyer of the defendant said, "It should be taken into account that Emine Bulut was saying something to the defendant in the video, maybe insulting him, and she might have misused right of custody, which should be considered a reason to reduce his sentence due to unjust provocation".
Defendant: I am not fairly tried
Defendant Fedai Varan stated, "I am not fairly tried, I want to use my right to stay silent." Announcing its verdict after the statements, the court has concluded that "there was no premeditation or monstrous feeling" in the feminicide of Emine Bulut. Accordingly, the court has sentenced Fedai Varan to life imprisonment for "willful killing".
Family has denounced the verdict
The family of Emine Bulut has denounced the verdict of the court, which has not given an aggravated life sentence to the defendant.
After the Kırıkkale 1st Heavy Penal Court has ruled that Fedai Varan shall be sentenced to life imprisonment, the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has released a written statement later in the day and announced that it will appeal against the ruling of the court.
Kırıkkale Penal Court of Peace has previously imposed a publication and broadcast ban on the images and videos shared on social media and the press regarding the feminicide of Emine Bulut.
What happened?Fedai Varan stabbed his ex-wife Emine Bulut to death in Kırıkkale on August 18. Their 10-year-old daughter was also with them at the time of incident. After stabbing Bulut, the ex-husband got on a taxi and fled. Coming to the scene of incident, the emergency health teams took Emine Bulut and her daughter to hospital. Bulut lost her life there. Ex-husband Varan was taken into custody in the district of Bahşılı and was arrested by the court that he was referred to. Testifying at court, he said, "After she insulted me while talking about the custody of our child, I stabbed her with the knife I brought along." Days after Emine Bulut was killed, the video featuring the murder has been shared on social media. While Emine Bulut was saying, "I don't want to die", her daughter was crying, "Mom, please don't die." The last words of Emine Bulut, her cry of "I don't want to die" turned into a surging reaction against male violence and feminicides on social media. B.Y., who captured the video with a mobile phone, was taken into custody after the incident and a legal action has been taken against him/her on charge of "unauthorized recording or transfer of voices and images in the course of an investigation or prosecution". While the Ministry of National Education announced that they would aid 10-year-old daughter of Emine Bulut in her education life and give her social and psychological support, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services indicated that they would follow her psychological and social condition during the course of the hearings. Several lawyers from around Turkey submitted requests of intervention in the trial. Fadia Varan, the perpetrator of the incident, was referred from Kırıkkale Hacılar Type F Prison to Bolu Type F Prison on August 27. Until a judgement is given as to the accusations, Enver Kılıç has been appointed as a guardian to protect and guarantee the aids granted to her. |
(EMK/SD)