Attacker of woman in shorts in Turkey files a complaint against the woman
As court in Turkey’s Anadolu Courthouse in İstanbul ordered for attacker Ercan Kızılateş - who harassed and battered 21 year old Melisa Sağlam on a public transportation ‘for wearing shorts’ - to be released and tried without arrest, prosecutor Mehmet Ali Yıldız requested suspect Kızılateş to be arrested.
5th Penal Court of Peace approved the request and Kızılateş will be tried under arrest. Prosecutor’s request was submitted after public reaction on social media. It was also revealed that the suspect was caught and taken to court for testimony three days after the attack, however, he was questioned on another pending case against him regarding a ‘tax debt.’
Suspect and his sister file a complaint against Melisa Sağlam
The suspect, who is now in Silivri Prison of Turkey, had defended himself by saying ‘he warned the woman about how she was dress in public during Ramadan’ and said he ‘had a complaint about the woman’, who tried defending herself against the attacker’s physical harassment.
Objecting to accusations on ‘battering’ the woman, Kızılateş said: ‘Actually, I have a complaint about her. Don’t you see the video images? She attacked me, too…”
Claiming that his warning was in ‘good intention’, suspect Kızılateş said: “I regret it. I only said something to her with a good intention. It is the month of Ramazan. I told her to dress properly since it is a sacred month. She was wearing short shorts... Then, I slightly hit her face with the back of my hand before I got out. It happened suddenly, I regret it.”As the suspect submitted an official commplaint against the college student Melisa Sağlam, Sağlam had to go and testify at the chief prosecutor’s office on Thursday (June 22). Suspect accused the young woman with ‘assault and battering.’
It’s been revealed that there are also several other pending cases – on drug abuse, minor assult, and fraud - against the suspect.
Earlier on Friday (June 23), it was reported that the sister of the suspect, Bircan Kızılateş, has also filed a complaint against the victim Melisa Sağlam.
The young woman shared a message on Twitter saying ‘his sibling has submitted a complaint against her for sharing the pictures of the incident in public.’ Attacked woman Melisa Sağlam had to testify at the court over the accusations on ‘insulting’ the suspect on social media.
Suspect's father accuses the woman with 'wearing shorts'
A retiree from the local municipality of Pendik, the suspect’s 61 year old father also accused Sağlam with ‘wearing clothes that are too revealing.’
As reported by HaberTürk, the father Halil Kızılateş said: “We live here with my wife Elif and my other child. That day, my son (the suspect) was fasting. He is a very well-intentioned person. Everyone in our neighborhood loves him. My son had hit the woman with the back of his hand when the woman in minibus cursed. But that woman was wearing a very short shorts.
Doesn’t she have a father or a mother? I don’t find it appropriate for her to dress like that. Then, as the girl got a report on battering, the incident has grown into this point. And, it turns out that my son had been charged with tax evasion. I found out about it when the police came to get him. And, the other day, a few people that I do not know tried to stone our house.”
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/pendik-saldirgani-tutuklu-yargilanacak-166287.html