Short Bus Ride Results in Girl's Bloody Lip

shorts links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 August 2011)

In Istanbul, a young girl who boarded a bus wearing shorts after her
volleyball practice was punched by a male passenger.

Nurcan Ibrahimoğlu (19), who plays on the PAV volleyball team in
Beşiktaş and attends Haliç University as a sophomore in its Sports
Academy Sports Management department, claimed that she was punched
by someone shouting 'you're disrupting public morals!' while riding on
the IETT 42M bus line from Bahçeköy on 28 July. She related her
experience as follows: 'It was the 2030 bus. Since I was so tired I
stretched out my legs. A 40-45 year old man kept watching me and
then bumped into my leg as he passed.'

The man started to insult Ibrahimoğlu, saying 'people like you are corrupting
the community's morals and honor.' Ibrahimoğlu explained that 'my foot hurt
and I'm an athlete. I had run all day. My feet were hurting so I had to
stretch out. I was wearing basketball shorts. He said 'you've stretched out
your naked legs! You're seducing the community, corrupting its honor!'
So I said 'you're my father's age. Is it people like me who are corrupting
public morals?' At this point he punched me and my lip exploded. I started
to scream and the other people on the bus separated us. But when I asked
for help a woman said 'don't bring trouble on us so late in the day.' I was
covered in blood and said 'stop the bus! I want to call the police!' but some
people interferred to prevent this, telling the driver not to stop. When I called
the police the man got off the bus.'

Ibrahimoğlu stated that the police were not particularly interested when she
went to the police station. She said she was turned away from the Şişli
police station where she had gone to get a report because no bones had
been broken and there had been no stabbing.

Questions posed to the IETT garage at 4th Levent, which is the base for
the bus involved in the punching attack, went unanswered. The driver, whose
name was not revealed, provided information to the IETT General
Directorate about the incident. He confirmed that it had taken place but said
that the girl athlete had left the bus as he headed toward the police station.