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On 8 July 2015, Çilem Doğan killed her husband Hasan Karabulut, who abused her for years and forced her to work as a sex worker. She surrendered to the police right after she killed him with his gun in the bedroom of their home in Adana province of Turkey.
In a very short period of time, Çilem became a symbol for the women in Turkey who have been suffering from male violence. While she was being taken to the police department after the incident, she said, “Why should women always die? It is time that men died instead!”
As male violence against women has been one of the most crucial issues facing Turkey, feminists and women’s groups started campaigning for Çilem, demanding a fair trial.
Repeatedly, Çilem said during her trials that what she did was “self-defence.” She stated that she tried to protect herself from violence by all possible means: she tried to divorce him but both her family and husband rejected it and her attempt to do so led to more violence being inflicted against her by her husband.
Çilem Doğan was arrested and first sentenced to an aggravated life sentence on charges of involuntary manslaughter. But later, the court reduced her sentence to a 15-year prison sentence for unjust provocation and good conduct.
Her demands for fair trials were rejected during the court proceedings. She was even blamed by the court as to why she did not seek shelter with her family, try protective measures such as identity-changes, cosmetic surgery, etc. She was asked ‘why’ she continued to live under the same roof as her husband, despite her repeatedly having stated that she had tried to divorce him in order to leave him.
When she received the 15 year sentence, her lawyer appealed against the decision and requested her release under judicial control. The court released her on 20 June 2016 on bail (stipulated at TL 50,000).
The case was sent to the Supreme Court but the Supreme Court upheld Çilem’s sentence. Çilem Doğan will be re-arrested and will be expected to stay behind bars for 15 years.
Announcing the verdict on her social media account, Sevil Aracı, one of the lawyers in her case, said, “With this decision, Çilem Doğan became one of the women punished for not dying in Turkey.”
Yargıtay, eşi Hasan Karabulut’u hayatını savunmak için öldürmek zorunda kalan ve 15 yıl hapis cezası alan Çilem Doğan’ın cezasını onadı. Bu karar ile Çilem Doğan, ölmediği için cezalandırılan kadınlardan biri oldu…. #yargıtayÇİLEMigör medi! pic.twitter.com/Af7qDR0JTc
— sevil aracı (@sevilaraci) November 4, 2021
Her lawyers have indicated that they will appeal to the Constitutional Court.
After the decision was heard, Çilem Doğan published a message on social media.
#ÇilemDoğan pic.twitter.com/9OrDF6NnAr
— feminist gündem (@feministgundem) November 4, 2021
“You did not imprison Çilem Doğan by approving the 15-year sentence. You’ve imprisoned an 8-year-old girl and all the women in the world.
“We didn’t expect anything from male justice, we didn’t. It didn’t mislead us again.
“We women will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder so that our eyelashes don’t fall on the floor.
“My daughter Misra Su is in your care, women.
“The women’s struggle will win.
“I embrace all women with solidarity.”
