Feminicide | Court of Cassation upholds life sentence for killing of Emine Bulut
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The Court of Cassation has upheld the life sentence of Fedai Varan, who killed Emine Bulut.
On August 18, 2019, Bulut lost her life after being stabbed by Varan, whom she had divorced six years ago.
The video showing the aftermath of the attack and Bulut crying, "I don't want to die" when she was being taken to the hospital led to protests by women.
Varan was arrested after the killing and the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit against him for "premeditated killing with monstrous feelings," which would require an aggravated life sentence.
The Kırıkkale 1st Heavy Penal Court sentenced Varan to life imprisonment for "wilful killing."
Ağır yaralanan Emine'nin hastaneye kaldırılırken söylediği "Ölmek istemiyorum" çığlığı, gündem olmuş, kadınlar sokağa çıktı.
The 2nd Penal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice, the appeals court, upheld the verdict.
The prosecutor of the regional court of justice appealed against the decision because the defendant's sentence was not reduced due to "good conduct" and "unjust provocation."
The 1st Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation rejected the appeals.
What happened?Fedai V. stabbed his ex-spouse 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. Fedai V., 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. With his indictment accepted by the Kırıkkale 1st Heavy Penal Court, defendant Fedai V. had his first hearing on October 9, 2019. Having his final hearing on October 21, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without any reduction on charge of "wilful killing." As the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor's Office did not find this sentence enough, it objected to it. Metin Feyzioğlu, the Chair of Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), said that he would be the attorney of Emine Bulut's family in the hearing to be held in the court of appeals. The file of Emine Bulut is still examined by the Ankara Regional Court of Justice. |
(EMK/VK)