The Perils of Children Getting Married

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Vatan Newspaper, 18 August 2018)


              Married children, with children.

In 2006, Levent Tan, then 17 and living in the Fatih neighborhood of
Sivas, met and fell in love with Leyla Mutlu, who was 14, still in
high scool and living in Adana's Kozan district.  Levent and Leyla
began living together and a year later their son Muhammet Akın was
born. 

In 2008, Leyla hanım was taken to a hospital in Sivas because of
food poisoning and the doctor who treated her suspected that her
early marriage had prompted her to try to commit suicide.  As a
result, police opened a case against Levent bey for child molestation.
On 6 October 2009, Levent bey was sentenced to 8 years 4 months
in jail.

Nevertheless, On 6 January 2010, Levent bey and Leyla hanım were
married in a religious ceremony.  As the case proceeded, Levent bey
passed the test as an expert army sergeant in 2010 and went to Siirt
province to serve his duty, along with his family, for three years. 

However, on 23 January 2014 an appeals court approved Levent bey's
conviction and on 27 January 2014, he was arrested at his wife's
father's home in Kozan, while home on leave from Siirt, and put in
jail in Kozan.  Subsequently, Levent bey spent 4 years and 8 months
in Sivas E-type Prison and was released yesterday.  Upon being
reunited with his family, Levent bey protested his wrongful
imprisonment and said he hoped to return to his military career.

Prior to going to jail, Levent bey had taken credit from a bank but
his debt has ballooned to 300,000 TL while he was in prison. (!)