Man who attacked woman for having worn shorts released from jail
Abdullah Çakıroğlu, the aggressor who kicked a woman on the face in a public bus for having worn shorts, has been released after the first hearing of the case as the court decided for his ‘mental health’ to be examined. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on December 21. The victim, Ayşegül Terzi, had a nervous breakdown when informed about the decision of the court to release her attacker.
The hearing held today (October 25) at İstanbul’s 40th Heavy Penal Court was monitored by numerous lawyers – mostly women lawyers – and legal experts from various bar associations and civil society institutions, along with independent MP Aylin Nazlıaka. Riot police took great security measures around the site.
‘I don’t find my behavior right but I don’t find the women’s sitting posture right, either’
Claiming that he has got a psychological disorder which causes him to speak to himself, the suspect said in his testimony that he had previously received help from a Hodja and used some medicines that he was given by him. Also explaining that he had been suffering from seizures, too, Çakıroğlu added the following explanations with regards to how the incident took place in the bus: “Since I had had seizures for two days, my psychology got messed up and I began talking to myself even more often. Then, this incident in the bus took place. I saw a woman whom I had never seen before. Her way of sitting was obscene. I told her to sit straight. She made a gesture with her face saying something like ‘none of your business.’ So, I looked down. But I could not bear with it so I acted the way I did out of reflex. I don’t find my behavior right but I don’t find the woman’s way of sitting right, either. When my illness comes up, my face turns completely black…That’s how I understood I have got epilepsy. I don’t get seizures all the time; it happens once in a while. I didn’t find her sitting posture proper. I warned her but she did not care at all. And, when she did not change the way she was sitting, this incident happened. The woman said that she fainted but she actually didn’t. I was assaulted both in the bus and in the hospital. And, I was also psychologically attacked in prison. After all, the influence of my illness on this incident is great...”
‘The Hodja said I was possessed by jinns’
Rationalizing his action by giving reference to Koran, the aggressor said the following: “You can ask my work friends, too. At that time, I was talking to myself more often; and, my aggressiveness had increased, too... I went to to Hodja and he told me I had been possessed by jinns... The woman was dressed in a way that was inproper for public. There were families and children there; she was affecting everyone’s spiritual state. The right things are written down in Koran: women must be covered up. Otherwise, they encourage and force people to commit crimes; they end up fueling people’s appetite. She did not trigger my desires but I acted out of reflex and did that to her because it was not right for her..”
Stating that what she had told at the police station has not been recorded down completely, Ayşegül Terzi expressed her discontent with the suspect basing his explanation to religion and added: “He lives very near to my house; if he is released, I’m afraid that he will attempt another attack.”
Although lawyer of Terzi requested for the suspect to remain arrested, the suspect was indeed released and the court ordered for further examinations to be conducted in order to determine the state of his mental health.
Talking to CNN Türk about the case, President of the Federation of Women’s Association of Turkey Canan Güllü said ‘this case was very significant in regards to right to life and right to have freedom of belief’ and underlined that it was setting a ‘precedent’ for future cases where social and legal norms are being tried to given a ‘religious shape.’
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/sortlu-kadina-saldiran-sahis-serbest-birakildi-133017.html