"Beat & Release": When She Said "I Don't", He Didn't Take it Well, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 November 2023)

                                                Ouch.

In Bağcılar, Istanbul, Filiz Akçay (42) was living with her two daughters

and dating Barbaros Tüzün (48), who owned a crane rental business in 

Sakarya, for about a year.  Barbaros bey decided to ask Filiz hanım to 

marry him but she demurred.  When he persisted, she decided to break

off the relationship. 

However (!), yesterday at about 9 o'clock in the morning Barbaros bey

showed up at Filiz hanım's house, wanting to talk with her.  Shortly after

he entered the home, gunshots were heard and neighbors called the police.

Arriving at the scene, police found the bodies of Filiz hanım, Barbaros

bey, and Filiz hanım's daughter Selin Akçay.  

Twenty minutes before Barbaros bey came to the house, Filiz hanım's

other daughter İlayda had left for her internship.  When she was 

summoned home by police she had a nervous breakdown. 

Long-distance relationships rarely work out :(

"Beat & Release": Wanna-be Christian Gives Pastor the "Turn the Other Cheek" Test, in Eskişehir

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 November 2023)

        "Hey, you're supposed to turn the other cheek!"

In Eskişehir, İlhan Önder (46), retired and the father of two children, went

to the Protestant church in Odunpazarı on 30 October.  At the church, 

Önder approached pastor Artun Tokatlı (38) and slapped him in the face.

Members of the congregation apprehended Önder and put him in a room

to await the police, who then took him into custody. 

Önder was charged with intentionally harming a clergyman but released

on judicial supervision.  Subsequently, though, by a decision of the public

prosecutor, he was sent to the Eskişehir City Hospital High Security 

Psychiatric Service for an examination to determine his sanity. 

In his statement to police, Önder asserted that his aim was not to harm

the pastor but, rather, to test his tolerance (!).  He explained that 

"the pastor said in his sermon that Christianity is a tolerant religion, 

in which you turn the other cheek when someone hits you.  I got 

excited, in particular, when he said that Christianity rewards and 

forgives wrongdoers so I wanted to test him on this by slapping him

in the face.  If I really wanted to harm him I wouldn't do it in a 

crowd of people.  I could have harmed him on another day when he

was by himself."

Subject to interpretation...

Pastor Tokatlı stated that "when he entered the church he was acting

strangely and during our prayers he recited the Moslem "Fatiha"

prayer.  He wanted me to baptize him (!) but I told him baptism 

takes time and he'd have to learn about Christianity first.  He didn't

like that answer and hit me.   The people and officials in Eskişehir

are very tolerant towards our church.  This was a "one-off" incident.

Our Eskişehir Protestant Church has been designated by the Religion

Ministry as a place of worship, which is a rare honor."

 

"Beat & Release": Murder Scene Cameras All "On the Blink" That Day (!), in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper,  6 November 2023)

        Killers, center and right, are camera-shy anyway.

In Beylikdüzü, Istanbul, on 16 September Bilal Zorel and two girlfriends

went to a shopping center nightclub and left towards morning the next

day.  As the three were walking to their car, a vehicle driven by Çağatay 

Enes Çolak passed by them at high speed, prompting Zorel to admonish

the driver, saying "You nearly ran us over! Slow down!"

Çolak and his friend Emrah Bayezit got out of their car and approached

Zorel and the girls in a threatening manner, declaring "who do you think

you're talking to!?"  Çolak then began to beat Zorel with a bat on his head.

The assailants fled and Zorel was taken to a hospital but, after a 21-day

battle to stay alive, he passed away. 

In their defense, the suspects claimed that Zorel had cursed at them and

attacked them with a knife.  Çolak admitted that he had beaten Zorel's 

back and legs with the bat, but not his head.  The court asked for camera 

images from the scene and set the next hearing for 29 November. 

                                     Convenient blackout.

However (!), Zorel's family's lawyer İbrahim Yılmaz noted that he had

asked the public prosecutor to collect such camera images but was told

"the cameras weren't working so there are no images" (!), prompting 

Yılmaz to say in exasperation "there must be cameras from 8-10 shops

that saw this happen.  To say that 'that day the cameras weren't working'

is astonishing!"

"Beat & Release": Oxymoronic "Murder as a Way of Life" Story Finally Ends in Prison, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 November 2023)

          In happier times with dad...(if there were any). 

Şinasi Gürkan's mother was killed by his father in Istanbul's Esenyurt

district in 2000.  His siblings Serkan Gürkan and Akın Gürkan were

murdered in 2004 and Şinasi Gürkan was convicted of killing his two 

siblings, going off to prison for 16 years.  He claimed that his other 

two siblings slandered him.  In 2017, 20 days before Şinasi bey was to

be released from prison, his former wife Nedime Tigis was strangled

to death with a scarf by her boyfriend in Avcılar, Istanbul. (!)

When Şinasi bey got out of jail he began living with his sons  Gökmen

and Göksel but they couldn't get along with each other.  On 6 March 

2019, Şinasi bey shot his two sons to death during an argument.  Next,

sometime later, Şinasi bey shot his brother Mühendis Gürkan in his

home in Avcılar and then shot his brother-in-law Alihan Tiz and his son

Erdal Tiz in Başakşehir, resulting in the deaths of Mühendis and Alihan. 

When captured by police, Şinasi bey told them: "if you hadn't caught me,

I was going to kill another 7 people." (!) 

In court yesterday, Şinasi bey explained that: "the state made me rot in

jail for 16 years for a crime I didn't commit.  In the 15 months since I

got out of prison, I discovered many betrayals.  I confess to all my 

crimes and am willing to accept my punishment."  The court then

sentenced Şinasi bey to 4 life sentences but he reacted in a rage,

screaming at the judges: "Shame on you!!".  At that point the "SEGBİS"

(courtroom live broadcast system) was cut off.  

"Beat & Release": Drug Addict Son Stabs "Devil"...uh Mom, in Bolu

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 November 2023)

In Bolu's Mudurnu district at about eight-thirty at night on 1 May, 

İbrahim Akyol (33), a drug addict, stabbed his mother Fatma Akyol

8 times, but she was able to break free from him and survived. 

Akyol was arrested and charged with "attempted murder, with intent,

of a family elder", with a sentence of 20 years in jail requested in the

indictment prepared by the public prosecutor. 

Akyol's trial began yesterday in court in Bolu and his statement as

recorded in the indictment was read out: "I stabbed my mother knowingly

and on purpose. I tried to kill her for God's approval because it was Satan,

not my mother, who I tried to kill.  I'll try again the first moment I can

get out of here.  I have no pity or regret. I did it for the delight." (!)

                             What's a mother to do?

Akyol added in court that: "I was high on dope that day and had a crisis.

I want to be released." (!)

As for the victim, Fatma hanım, she said that she would not file a 

complaint against her son, noting that: "that evening he was high on

drugs so he didn't do it knowingly."  The case was postponed in order

to await a report from the police lab regarding Akyol's mental health.

In the meantime, Akyol will remain in jail. 

"Spray & Release": Pepper Spray Punishment for Supporting the "Wrong" Team, in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 2 November 2023)

    "It was worth going through hell to get to heaven :)"

In Osmangazi, Bursa, on 29 October, Yusuf Emir Bolat, who goes to the 

Trabzonspor Futbol School, was sitting on the steps of his house with a

friend when a man on a bicycle approached them and, taking note of 

Yusuf Emir's Trabzonspor football jersey, said reproachfully "soooo, 

you're a Trabzonspor fan?!"  

Yusuf Emir replied affirmatively, prompting the bicyclist to spay him in 

the eyes with pepper spray (!).  The boy began to cry from the effect of 

the spray and neighbors called for medical help.  He was taken to Bursa

Uludağ University Hospital for treatment and then released. 

Police reviewed camera footage and determined that the sprayer was

Veysel İ. (31), who was apprehended and taken into custody. 

Bursaspor fanatic gone over the edge.

Trabzonspor Club made an announcement about the incident on social

media condemning the attack and noting that a delegation from Bursa's

Trabzonspor Association had visited Yusuf Emir, presenting him with

a special Trabzonspor jersey with his name and the number 61 (Trabzon 

province's license plate number) on it. 

That's celebratory smoke, not pepper spray.

"Beat & Release": Baby "Breaks Bad", in Kırklareli

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 November 2023)

Some kids start learning piano at this age, while others...

Narcotics police in Kırklareli became suspicious of a car at the highway 

entrance in Babaeski district and stopped it.  The car's occupants T.E.A.O.,

K.E. and D.D. were searched but no illegal drugs were found. 

However (!), police then found 162.55 grams of methamphetamine 

hidden in a medicine pouch on the stomach of 3-month-old T.K., D.D.'s

baby.   The three adults were jailed (no mention of T.K.'s fate !).

Proud grandpa