Married for One Day Four Years Ago and Now - Alimony!

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 April 2021)

"Have you seen my wife!?  I did, once, four years ago."

A young man who eloped and married a girl in 2017 remained married

for just one day, but a court has ordered him to pay his 'wife' 700 TL

per month in alimony.  Mustafa Duman (32) had been trying himself

to get a divorce for four years but his wife beat him to the punch. 

Duman lives in Pehlivan village near Kastamonu city.  He met a woman

named Ayşe on social media six years ago and chatted with her for two

years.  But when her family objected to the match, the two eloped by 

bus from Istanbul to Kastamonu, where they married.  However (!),

Ayşe's family came to Kastamonu and brought Ayşe back to Istanbul.

Duman even had leaflets printed with Ayşe's picture on them and 

went on TV in hopes someone would find her and send her back to him. 

But one day he received a notice that Ayşe had divorced him and he

had to pay her 700 TL (about $90) per month in alimony.  (!)

Duman lamented that "I'm looking all over for my wife and then I

get this divorce notice!"

Continuing, Duman explained that "we chatted online for two years

and decided to get married.  I talked with her mother one time but she

hung up on me.  Two days later, Ayşe called me and said 'Mustafa,

come get me!'   I hopped on the bus in Kastamonu and met up with

Ayşe in Istanbul.  We stayed with my uncle there for a night, returned

to Kastamonu by bus and got married.  Ayşe called her mom and told

her 'I'm fine and I've married the man I love.' " 

Then her parents came to Kastamonu and said they wanted their 

daughter to marry with a wedding dress and all the trimmings.  The 

next day they all went back to Istanbul but when I arrived there for the 

wedding day no one was at home.  So I went to the nearby police 

station and filed a complaint about my missing wife.  I printed 300 

leaflets and handed them out.  I took out 20,000 TL in credit from a

bank for the wedding but I spent it all looking for Ayşe."

"I tried everything but I couldn't reach her.  Then I got the divorce 

notice and the alimony demand.  I spent three days in jail because of it. 

When I got out and went on a TV program for victims like me.  

Nevertheless, I can't get a job and I have to pay the credit back,

along with the alimony!"