The first trial hearing of Special Sergeant Musa Orhan, who is accused of raping İpek Er, took place at Siirt 1st High Penal Court on 16 September.
Special Sergeant Musa Orhan is accused of raping İpek Er in the Beşiri district of Batman (Êlih), leading to her suicide.
İpek Er’s mother and father, Hakime Kılınç and Fuat Er, attended the hearing, while Orhan attended from Ankara via the SEGBİS Audio and Information System.
Orhan did not make a statement and exercised his right to remain silent during the hearing.
Er’s mother, Hakime Kılınç, made a statement through a Kurdish translator. Following the statement, defendant Orhan’s lawyer tried to ask questions of the bereaved parents. However, the court denied the questions on the grounds that questions were not in the scope of the case. Orhan’s lawyer claimed that social media had manipulated the incident.
The court administration refused the intervention of women’s organisations and regional bar associations and ruled Orhan to be tried without arrest.
Er’s mother was sickened by the decision and fainted. Following the case she made a statement saying, “I will carry on this lawsuit against him until I die. I will be a complainant against Musa Orhan who raped my daughter for the rest of my life. The government must do what is needed”.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Meral Danış Beştaş also made a statement after the case and said that Musa Orhan should have been arrested, but was not, despite the forensic report.
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