Istanbul Peace Conference Ends Badly (Just Across the Bosphorus from the 'Other One')

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 30 March 2022)

Let's hope the Slavs do peace talks better than the Turks.

In Üsküdar, Istanbul, the long friendship between Tuncay Demirli (47)

and Ercan Akdağ (44) ended four years ago because of an argument.  

Their friends were very saddened by this situation and one of them, Ö.Ç.,

decided to bring the two old friends back together.  So a meeting was 

arranged between Demirli and Akdağ last Thursday evening.  

The peace conference began well enough, as the two shook hands and

entered into a deep conversation.  However (!), in the course of the chat,

old wounds were opened and tensions rose.  Ö.Ç. tried to intervene, but

in vain, as Demirli stabbed Akdağ 5 times, killing him.  Demirli fled

and Akdağ's body was taken to the morgue.  

Shortly afterwards, Demirli surrendered himself and his knife a the

police station and was jailed. 

Coincidental peace summits in Beşiktaş (RU-UK) and

Üsküdar (Tuncay-Ercan).  

"Beat & Release": One Birthday and a Funeral, in Ordu

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 29 March 2022)

           Killer kept police rescuers waiting at the door. 

In Ordu, Eda Evli (22)  alerted police that she was in danger via the 

KADES alert system on the night of 24 March.  However, police arrived 

too late and found Eda hanım's dead body at the scene.  Her boyfriend 

Sinan Şimşek (36) was caught while trying to flee. 

Şimşek explained that "I divorced my wife for Eda. But after I got

divorced she left me flat and started to run around with other guys.

The night of the incident was my birthday.  We went to the shore and

drank but Eda wanted to go to a nightclub so we did.  There, though,

Eda spoke harshly to me.  Afterward we went home and started to 

drink some more."

"But Eda continued to insult me, hit me and started screaming.  I hit

her twice and she fell next to the bed, continuing to scream.  I was 

going to go to the door to open it for the police who had come (!)

(because of Eda hanım's KADES alert).  But because I was drunk

somehow I found a rope in my hand, put it around her neck and pulled

it up, telling her to stop screaming."  

"I wasn't trying to strangle her but then her voice went quiet.  Sometimes 

she faints so I thought that she had fainted this time, too.  Meanwhile, 

the police kept on banging on the door. I smoked a cigarette, drank some 

water and washed my hands in the bathroom (!).  Then the police came in. 

I learned from the health team that Eda had died." 

"Anti-Drug Crusader" Caught With 33,000 Narcotics Pills, in Samsun

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 28 March 2022)

          Refuge of scoundrels: "Do as I say, not as I do."

Two years ago, Erdoğan Desteci (40), the village chief of İkiyüz Evler in

Samsun's Canik district, went on an internet TV show to offer solutions

to the drug problem.  Now, Desteci has been caught in a car with 33,000

narcotics pills. (!) 

On the evening of 24 March, a car in which Desteci was riding failed to

stop at a police checkpoint in Merzifon district of Amasya province.  

After a brief chase, police stopped the car and arrested the four people

inside.  A search of the car yielded 33,000 pills that are only sold with a

"green" prescription. Desteci, along with M.R., E.Ç. and A.Ç., was 

charged with "narcotics commerce" and jailed. 

In 2020, Desteci offered solutions to the drug problem on an internet TV

show, explaining the related projects he had initiated in his village.  On

the program, Desteci said "I say to my brothers who are drug-addicted, 

we've had this problem for 20 years here.  My only request is that if we

don't do urban renewal here, let's build sports and park facilities. Let's

not lose another generation!" (!)

TNT Ukraine War Edition: Turks Prepared for Gas Attacks 90 Years Ago; Stray Mine Sighted in Bosphorus Yesterday

tükrçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 March 2022)

                 Istanbul fashion in the mid-1930s.

mines in the Bosphorus see this TNT report about

mines drifting from Odessa to the Bosphorus. At

least one has arrived.  The Turkish Agriculture and 

Forestry Ministry has banned fishing boats from the

Black Sea waters from the Bulgarian border to Kefken.

Russia is threatening nuclear facilities in Ukraine and the entire world 

is on edge. Once again, gas masks and shelters are on the agenda. 

Turkey experienced similar anxiety in the 1930s as WWII was 

approaching, with regard to chemical weapons.  

In the 1930s chemical weapons of mass destruction were considered

the most dangerous threat and Turkey was one of the earliest countries

to recognize this.  In fact, the "Directorate for Protection Against 

Poison and Suffocating Gas and Air Attacks" was established within

the Ministry of Health, while the "General Gas Command" was set up

in the General Staff HQS.  Universities held conferences on poison gas,

with one professor declaring that "the coming wars will be wars of 

poison gases."

The General Staff organized conferences, too, and İsmet (İnönü) Paşa,

Fevzi (Çakmak) Paşa, along with other senior army officers, were saying 

that "someone wearing a mask will definitely avoid death."  Associations

were founded and courses given, with a detailed curriculum for lessons in

"poison gases".  Ultimately, the first gas mask factory was opened in 

Mamak, Ankara, on 31 October 1935, with two types of masks produced:

the "Turkish peoples mask" and the "Kızılay (Red Crescent) mask".

There was high demand for the masks and the Kızılay mask was sold

to employees in three installments.  As for shelters, Mr. Schossberger,

a German specialist in gas shelters, was brought to Turkey in 1937.  The

old "sarnıç" (underground cisterns) in Istanbul were examined for use as 

shelters and it was determined that the Binbirdirek "sarnıç" could house 

10,000 people and the Yerebatan "sarnıç" 30,000.  There were abıout 100

of  these "sırnaç" in Istanbul at that time and where there weren't any

new shelters were built.

Drills were held and airplanes would fly over Istanbul as if attacking.

Sirens blared and people rushed to the shelters.  Many people, though,

misunderstood the drills and assumed that real gas bombs would be

dropped so there were those who wouldn't leave their homes for days

on end.  People rushed to the bakeries for bread, while newspapers

carried headlines imploring people to "remain calm". 

Poison gas was first used by the Germans in WWI and at least 90,000

people died from the gas. Turkish soldiers were first exposed to poison

gas during WWI in Galicia (Romania), when it was used against them

by the Russians. 

"Beat & Release": Ladies' 'Gagaİstanbul' Experience Ends in Club Owner's Murder

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 26 March 2022)

              Lady Gaga, why hast thou forsaken me? 

In Şişli district of Istanbul, last night at 3 o'clock in the morning five 

individuals began harassing women customers at the Gagaİstanbul 

Club.  The woman appealed  to the club's management for help and

Giyasettin Gümüş, the club owner, and his bouncers evicted the 

troublemakers. 

However (!), the five hoodlums, enraged at being bounced from the

club, took a gun from their car and began firing wildly.  Gümüş was hit

and died at the scene, while bouncers Mehmet A. and Sefa Ş. were 

injured. 

Police reviewed video footage and determined the identities of the 

attackers, all of whom have long police records, and are endeavoring

to catch them. 

TNT Ukraine War Edition: Militiamen Storm Turkish Ship for Its Manganese Load, in Odessa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 March 2022)

"You're not going anywhere anyway so let us lighten your 

load."

The Turkish-flagged vessel Rahmi Yağcı, stranded in Chornomorsk port

in Odessa, Ukraine, was the target of a raid by an armed militia group.

The Turkish Consulate General intervened and a Ukrainian military

group came to remove the militiamen, but they returned to the ship 

after the Ukrainian soldiers left. 

The Rahmi Yağcı ship, belonging to Yağcı Maritime, is loaded with

5,900 tons of "ferro siliko manganese".  Just as the ship was about to

leave Odessa on 22 February, the Russian Army entered Ukraine and

all port exits were stopped, stranding the Rahmi Yağcı there. 

The crew did not leave the ship and made do with provisions on the 

vessel.  However, the day before yesterday an armed Ukrainian militia 

group boarded the ship, made the crewmembers open the hold and 

wanted to unload the valuable manganese into wagons they moved 

alongside the ship.   

The crewmembers resisted and informed company officials in Turkey.

In addition, the ship's captain posted a video of the situation on social

media, in hopes of attracting help.  The Turkish Consulate General in

Odessa intervened and was able to have Ukrainian Army troops come

to the ship and remove the militiamen.  But as soon as the Ukrainian

soldiers left, the militiamen returned to the ship, wanting to unload

the manganese.  

Muammer Yağcı of  Yağcı Maritime explained that "as soon as we got

word of the situation we informed the Turkish Consulate in Odessa and

contacted our lawyer there. The governor at the port area had Ukrainian

soldiers come to the ship and the matter was resolved, with the 

militiamen leaving the ship in the evening.  But no ships can leave the

port and all the Ukrainian power personnel have been given army 

uniforms and guns so it's very tense.  The types of militia groups come 

now and then to irritate our crewmembers.  We're keeping track of event 

via our lawyer and the Consulate officials. We are all very tense."

TNT "Fancy Nancy" Edition: Fancy Bench Stolen From Fancy Storefront, in Istanbul

türkçe  links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 March 2022)

    Fancy that! They took quite a fancy to that fancy bench.

Two individuals stole a bench (!) worth 30,000 TL (about $2,000) from

in front of the Les  Benjamins store in the Teşvikiye neighborhood of 

Şişli district, Istanbul.  Workers from the store on Akkavak Street had 

put the bench, which is usually kept inside the store, out in front on the

sidewalk last Friday.  

Two fellows came along and picked up the bench like it was a stretcher,

loading it into a truck parked on the corner and speeding away.  When

the store workers noticed the bench was gone they looked at security

camera footage.  Police were informed and identified the bench robbers

as B.K. and T.B., with the former being arrested in Gaziosmanpaşa and

the latter in Eyüpsultan neighborhoods.   

                      Fancy bench is the perfect addition.

Both B.K. and T.B. have long police records for robbery and similar

crimes.  They said that they sold the bench to a junk dealer but the 

bench has not been found.  After processing at the police station, both

were released under judicial supervision. (!)

      Life imitates art. In this case, a fancy armoire.

"Beat & Release": Turkmen Caretaker Terror, Again, Caught on Camera, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article 

(HaberTürk website, 23 March 2022)

another Turkmen caretaker click here for another 

similar and recent episode in Istanbul. 

ouch! click here for the unpleasant video. 

     Auditioning to serve in the Russian Army in Ukraine.

In Kadıköy, Istanbul, a caretaker from Turkmenistan inflicted violence

on an 80-year-old woman Alzheimer patient she was "caring for".  

Thanks to secreted cameras that the woman's family put in, the 

beatings came to light. 

The incident occurred in Kadıköy's Suadiye neighborhood.  In 2018,

H.Ö.U. hired Turkmen caretaker Merjen Allakulyyeva to look after 

her mother Müzeyyen D., who suffers from Alzheimers. Last year, the 

family noticed black and blue marks and swelling on Müzeyyen hanım 

so they brought her to a hospital, where it was determined that 

Müzeyyen hanım had been beaten like a boxer beats an opponent.  

H.Ö.U. suspected the Turkmen caretaker and put secret cameras in

Müzeyyen hanım's house.  Sure enough, the video reflected Müzeyyen

hanım being subjected to punches and torture by the Turkmen caretaker,

who at one point noticed one of the cameras.   

Shocked by what she saw, H.Ö.U. filed a police complaint and Merjen 

Allakulyyeva was taken into custody.  Subsequently, a court sentenced 

her to 4 years and 2 months in jail, but instead she was taken from the 

Bakıköy Women's Prison to the Istanbul Immigration Administration 

Directorate (İl Göç) for expulsion from Turkey. 

However (!), H.Ö.U.'s lawyer Celal Ülgen claimed that Allakulyyeva's

sister, who has a Turkish residency and work permit, was somehow,

but illegally, able to free her from İl Göç, and that Merjan Allakuyyeva

has been spotted in various parts of Istanbul.  As a result, Ülgen has 

filed a complaint against İl Göç in this regard, and had this to say about

the matter: 

"Black and blue marks were noticed on the neck of my client's mother

and a doctor determined that these marks were the result of punches. 

My client had cameras installed in her mother's home and was shocked

by what she saw, including her mother's head being smacked against a

wall, a blanket stuffed in her mouth and being subjected to curses. The

suspect was jailed for about a month but then released for expulsion 

from the country.   However, we have learned that the suspect is still

in Turkey, having somehow been freed from İl Göç."

"This is not something a normal person would do. We want her deported

so this doesn't happen to someone else. This caretaker worked for my

client to watch over her mother for 4 years but the bruises were only

noticed lately.  Now they think this may have happened before without 

their knowledge.  Alzheimer patients cannot explain their needs.  We 

think that even though her sentence was issued in Turkey, the suspect 

could be tried in Turkmenistan and jailed there so that's probably why 

she is still in Turkey.  But if she doesn't get jail time here she should 

serve it in Turkmenistan. 

 

Billionaire Bankamatic Brothers Hit the Jackpot, in Samsun

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 22 March 2022)

                                              "What?"

Brothers Recep and Emre Gezek, who live in Samsun, transferred 16

billion TL (a bit over $1 billion!) to their own account from their bank's

system somehow.  Taking full advantage of this windfall, the brothers

bought luxury cars and telephones for themselves and sent money to

relatives so they could pay off their debts. 

Recep Gezek (26), who works at a gas station in Samsun, opened a 

joint bank account with his brother Emre Gezek.  They were able to

transfer billions of TL from the bank's investment account to their own,

making nearly 70 transactions in one day to put 16 billion TL in their

account. 

Subsequently, while going to a massage parlor (!) they encountered 

a police checkpoint and were found out.  Their account has been frozen

but the brothers were released under judicial supervision.  Now, a team

of digital security experts and finance inspectors are looking into the

incident.

Hürriyet has obtained the brothers' statements.  Herewith, Emre bey's:

"There was no money in the account so I looked at the bank's investment 

account and there was a menu item that read 'withdraw money' and then

'how much?'.  So I wrote an amount off the top of my head and each 

time I did that much money went into our account.  I did this 60-70 

times and it worked each time.  Right away, with the money I bought

myself a telephone and then sent 300,000 TL to a dealer for a BMW.

I withdrew 40,000 TL from an ATM. The total amount I got was 16

billion TL."

"I told my elders about it and we all agreed we should pay off all our

relatives' and neighbors' debts.   The bank put a stop on the account 

for a 'security reason' but then they lifted the stop.  Two days later 

they called my brother Recep, saying 'there's quite a bit of money in

your account. Where did it come from?'  In response, Recep told them

that 'my brother transferred it from the investment account to our 

savings account'.  Then they asked him 'you have this amount of 

investments?' and Recep answered 'if I didn't, I wouldn't have withdrawn

so much.'   Then they blocked the account again. We didn't hoodwink

anyone. I don't know how it happened.  We were going to donate the

money to the country." (!) 

As for Recep: "We got word to all our relatives and sent some of them

money, but then the bank called them and wanted the money returned.

If this was a crime why did they allow me to transfer money like this

for two days without blocking it?  I sent the money to my relatives as

a good-hearted gesture.  If I had bad intentions I would have taken the

16 billion TL and gone abroad."

"Beat & Release": Dad Objected to Son's Marriage Plans and "Committed Suicide", in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 March 2022)

                   Could we call this "assisted suicide"?

In Bursa, Emirhan Şirinel (21) wanted to marry his girlfriend so on the

night of 18 March he revealed this decision to his father Erkan Şirinel (45).

When Erkan bey objected, however, an argument ensued between father 

and son, with Emirhan grabbing a hunting rifle and shooting his father 

dead at point-blank range, in front of his mother Pınar Şirinel (43). 

Emirhan bey called the police and said that his father had committed 

suicide (!).  Erkan bey's body was taken to the morgue and his son and

wife went to the police station to give statements.  Emirhan claimed 

that he wasn't at home when his father killed himself and only came 

when his mother called to give him the sad news of his father's suicide.

Meanwhile, Pınar hanım asserted that she was in the kitchen when she

heard the gunshot and ran to the living room to find her husband dead.

Police found their accounts to be contradictory so Emirhan bey and 

Pınar hanım were cross-examined.  At this point, Emirhan bey 

confessed to the murder and was charged with "intentional murder of

a close relative" and jailed.  Pınar hanım was released under judicial

supervision. 

TNT Ukraine War Edition: Drifting Mines in the Black Sea Threaten Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 20 March 2022)

                      "Tuna" is Turkish for "Danube".

The port authority at Sochi, Russia, has reported that mines in the Black

Sea planted in the waters off Odesa by the Ukrainians have broken 

free in a storm and have begun to drift.  Conversely, the Ukrainians have 

blamed the Russians for this development.  It is said that the errant mines 

could reach Istanbul. (!)

Experts are saying that the current created by the Danube River as

it flows into the Black Sea could carry the mines to the Bosphorus. 

On 18 March, the Sochi port authority issued this statement: "Based

on determinations made by the Russian Hydrology Council, mines

laid by Ukraine in the waters off Odesa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk 

and Yujniy ports broke free from their tethers in a storm and have

begun to drift uncontrollably. There are an estimated 420 of these

mines of the 'YM' and 'YRM' types, and they are in a busy shipping

corridor of the western Black Sea.  All captains are warned to be on

the alert for these mines."  Russia has also issued a "coastal warning" 

via the NAVAREA system in regard to this danger.  

On the other hand, the Ukrainian "Black Sea Strategic Research 

Institute" has stated that Russians laid the mines to block commercial

shipping traffic in the Black Sea but has blamed Ukraine for the mines.

A Ukrainian maritime expert agreed, though, that the drifting mines

could reach Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait in a matter of days.  Because

the 'YRM'-type mines are small it is difficult to detect them with

sonar.  

Mine types: the 'YM' maritime mines began to be made by the Soviet

Union during WWII and were first used in the Gulf of Finland; they

each weigh 172 kilograms and contain 20 kilograms of TNT, lying

1-2 meters below the water surface and exploding on contact.

The 'YRM' mines' purpose is to prevent landings.  They were built

during the Soviet period and each one weighs 30 kilograms, with 

3 kilograms of explosives.  They explode on contact and are intended

to kill landing troops.

Both types are known to be used by both Russia and Ukraine. 

   

"Russian Federal Security Service: Mines Laid by Ukraine 

may reach Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait and the 

Mediterranean Sea."

"Beauty & The Beast": Model as Loanshark's Bait

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 March 2022)

                        A cuddly loanshark with image savvy.  

Model Merve Çelik (27), who lives in Izmir, met Hünkar Meletli (44)

through her friend Şeyma B.   At the time, Merve hanım needed money

so she got a 3,000 TL loan from Meletli in exchange for a promissory

note declaring that Merve hanım would pay back 3,300 TL. 

Merve hanım paid back her debt to Meletli within 15 days and got a 

receipt from him.  However (!),  Meletli held on to the promissory note

and after some time had passed he started legal proceedings against 

Merve hanım and her friend Murat B., showing Meletli's friend İbrahim

Olcap Dipçin (39) as the beneficiary. 

Merve hanım asserted that Meletli had trapped her, as he had done to 

many other women, and filed a suit against him.  Meletli claimed to 

have no knowledge of the promissory note and Dipçin declared that

"I lent money to Merve Çelik and this promissory note is the collateral

for her debt."  

The public prosecutor opened a case against Meletli and Dipçin for 

"loansharking" and "fraud", asking for a 16-year jail term and a 10-year

jail term, respectively.  There are more than 50 criminal cases and 

investigations involving Meletli. 

                      A more familiar loanshark image.

"Beat & Release": "Justice" Dishonored in Death, but Dads Just Shrug It Off, in Istanbul

türkçe  links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 18 March 2022)

                  Destined to live happily never after. 

Adalet Bike was married off to distant relative Mahmut Bike while still

a child.  When Mahmut bey was in prison, he learned that Adalet hanım

had begun a friendship with another man.  So when Mahmut bey got out

of prison, he pursued Adalet hanım, who on 21 June 2021 went to a park 

in Istanbul's Büyükçekmece district with her cousin Öznur Erbek to meet 

Gökhan Denli.  (NOTE: "Adalet" means "justice" in Turkish)

Mahmut bey knew where Adalet hanım was thanks to a smartwatch he

had given her.  So together with his brother Firat Bike and friend Furkan 

Özcan, along with Adalet hanım's older brother Selahattin Erbek, Mahmut 

bey went to the park, where they forced Adalet hanım and Öznur hanım 

into a car.  At this time, Mahmut bey stabbed and then shot Gökhan bey 

to death and then fled the scene with Adalet hanım in his car.

A few hours later, Adalet hanım's body was found on the E-5 highway.

She had been run over by a car - a Jaguar belonging to Fırat Bike.  The

car was found a few kilometers beyond the point where Adalet hanım's

body was discovered.  

Mahmut Bike, Fırat Bike, Furkan Özcan and Öznur Erbek were all taken

into custody, while Selahattin Erbek disappeared.  The Bakırköy public

prosecutor charged all five suspects with "honor killing" and asked the

court for severe life sentences.  

The first hearing of the case occurred yesterday and Mahmut bey 

confessed to killing Gökhan bey.  Fırat Bike, though, claimed that "my 

older brother Mahmut was ahead of me and I was following him in my 

car.  I ran over something and the airbags exploded.  I couldn't restart the 

car. When we saw that the police were approaching, we ran away."

At yesterday's hearing, Mahmut bey stated that "my wife saw some 

messages on my phone and said she would take the children and 

divorce me.  On the day of the incident, her smartwatch indicated 

that she was near Lake Büyükçekmece.  Thinking she might commit

suicide, we went there but when we arrived Gökhan Denli pulled out

a knife.  I took it from him and stabbed him.  When he ran toward my

car I shot him.  As we got onto the main road, Adalet's older brother

Selahattin got out of the car.  At that time I was slapping Öznur.  Then

a sound came from within the car.  I put Öznur out of the car and saw

that Adalet was no longer in the car.  When we returned to the scene of

the incident, I saw that the police were coming, so I got scared and ran

away."

As for Adalet hanım's father, Mehmet Erbek, he said that "If I knew 

what had happened I would have been right there alongside the 

suspects.  I have no complaint and I trust in the justice system."  (!)

Similarly, Gökhan bey's father Arap Denli said that "I've no complaint.

I trust in the justice system.  I'm glad to have met them (suspects).  I

wish all this hadn't happened, though." (!) 

On the other hand, Gökhan bey's older brother Hüseyin Denli and 

Adalet hanım's sister Melek Erbek filed complaints against all the 

suspects.  

 

"Beat & Release": Perfume Seller, Spurned by Doctors, Takes Them Hostage, in Denizli

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 March 2022)

new year's & fake perfume click here for another

perfume story that leads to yet another.

In Denizli on 15 January, perfume-seller Uğur Çalışkan got hold of a 

sick relative's hospital pass and entered the pediatric clinic of  Pamukkale 

University Hospital, finding the office of Dr. Begüm Yağmur Bakkalcı 

and Dr. Osman Gazi Sağlam there.  Neither of the doctors was interested 

in buying any perfume so they told Çalışkan to be on his way.

However (!), Çalışkan decided on the hard-sell technique and locked the

office door, holding the two doctors hostage.  The doctors, though, were

able to call in a "white code" to hospital security, prompting curses and 

threats from Çalışkan, who attacked Dr. Sağlam, injuring the doctor's 

right arm.  Nevertheless, Dr. Sağlam was able to get the key from 

Çalışkan's pocket during their tussle, opened the door and security 

personnel subdued Çalışkan, delivering him to the police. 

After processing at the police station and being brought to court,

Çalişkan was released (!) on judicial supervision.  The Denizli public

prosecutor objected to the release, though, and Çalışkan was rearrested

and jailed two days later.  

Last Friday in court, Çalışkan stated that "I apologize to the doctors. I

locked the door because I was frightened. I regret what I did and want

to be released."  However (!), the chief of the court sentenced Çalışkan

to 8 years and 3 months in jail for "intentional wounding", "insulting",

"kidnapping" and "illegal entry".

 

Putting the Cart Before the Horse, Out of Kindness, in Düzce

türkçe links to original Turkish article and video

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 March 2022)

                                  Sharing the load.

Someone who saw a man pulling a cart with a horse tied behind it on 

Rıhtım Avenue in Düzce recorded the scene and posted the video on

social media.  The man pulling the cart was Tarık Tok, the father of 2

children who lives in the Ağa neighborhood and makes his living by

collecting paper and odds and ends.  After seeing Tok's kind gesture

towards his tired horse "Gül", who is 25 years old, the horse was 

given feed by the Turkey Jockey Club and horse farm owners. 

Tok, who loves "Gül" like a daughter, said that "I collect paper with 

this horse to make a living.  She was a foal when she came to us and

will be with us till she dies.  My dad worked with this horse to keep

us fed and I'm doing the same for my family with her.  This horse is

my own daughter's dowry and I'm educating my son with whatever

I make with "Gül"."

Murat Seyok, a horse farmer, said that "Tarık gave us an example of

humaneness in these troubled times, shaming us a bit.  We will meet

all the needs of his horse henceforth."

"Beat & Release": "If She Had Accepted His Marriage Proposal, He Wouldn't Have Killed Her" - Court Ruling

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 14 March 2022)

Lesson learned: be careful of the people you meet on the

'dolmuş'.

A legal decision has been announced that has infuriated Turkey with 

regard to the murders of women.  In the case of the killing of  Hatice 

Kaçmaz (33), a TRT performer, in September 2014, the "Yargıtay" 

(YCGK, Supreme Court of Appeals Penal Council) has ruled that 

"if she had accepted his marriage proposal, he wouldn't have killed 

her." (!)  As a result, murderer Orhan Munis will be freed from jail at 

age 65, instead of age 71.  All of  the 14 YCGK members are men. 

Munis was born in 1979 and in February 2001 he killed his own brother

Burhan in Erzurum for playing music too loudly, by stabbing him 8

times.  In his defense, Munis said that he had just returned from army

service a week before so his nerves were on edge. (!)  Munis was given

a life sentence for the murder but it was reduced to 22 years because 

he committed the murder "under incitement and he showed remorse", 

as well.   In any case,Munis stayed in jail only until 2013, when he was 

released. 

Subsequently, Munis met Hatice hanım by chance on a "dolmuş" 

(collective taxi) in Ankara.  Hatice hanım had lost her husband in a car

accident in 2012 and was living with her 4-year-old daughter.  Just 15

days after they met, Munis proposed marriage to Hatice hanım, who

had a friend look into Munis's past, whereupon she learned about his

prison time.  Hatice hanım tried to get away from Munis but he 

persisted with his marriage proposal. 

After killing Hatice hanım, the court ruled that Munis had committed

the murder out of "an excess of love" and gave him a sentence reduction,

deciding that "when the deceased rejected his marriage proposal he was

seized by his love for her, could not bear the thought of separation, and

stabbed her to death.  His emotional breakdown and fury are reflected

in the number of stabbing strikes so he was unable to think straight.

Consequently, the murder could not have been pre-planned but it was

nevertheless intentional, resulting in a lifetime jail sentence."

Despite the ruling, Hatice hanım's family, having lost their daughter

and left with an orphaned grandchild, pressed on for justice.  They

convinced the public prosecutor that Munis's jail sentence should be

for "pre-planned murder" and the prosecutor wrote that: "the suspect 

bought a knife to 'butcher an animal' for 7 TL but he did not have 

enough money to purchase an animal.  Hatice Kaçmaz recorded their 

telephone conversations, fearing for her life.  The suspect took the knife 

out from his belt while in the taxi en route to his meeting with Hatice

Kaçmaz and hid it in his sock, intent on killing her.  He prepared for 

the killing in full command of his faculties."

Nevertheless, YCGK rejected the prosecutor's objection and confirmed

the lesser jail sentence.  So although Munis had killed his own brother,

was released from jail after serving only 13 years and claimed that the

knife he killed Hatice hanım with was intended for sacrificing an

animal, the YCGK found all this insufficient to characterize the murder

of Hatice hanım as "pre-planned", ruling that the 19.9 centimeter knife

he brought with him to meet Hatice hanım was used in "a moment of 

rage".  

The YCGK, in its ruling, noted that if Hatice hanım had accepted 

Munis's marriage proposal he would not have been seized by the fury

her rejection imposed on him and which resulted in his "emotional 

breakdown". (!)  The YCGK's decision was opposed by 5 of the 14 

members, all of whom are men. 

As with his early release from jail for killing his brother, Munis may now

similarly be released early from this sentence.  If the YCGK had ruled 

that the murder was "pre-planned" then Munis would have been eligible

for release from jail at age 71.  Now, he will be eligible at age 65. 

 

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