Turkey: Appeal filed in case of wife's death, family seeks homicide charge

A Turkish court has handed down a 14-year prison sentence to Yunus Korkut, who was found guilty in the death of his wife, Ummahan Korkut. However, the victim's family has taken the case to an appeals court, asserting that the initial ruling by the Muğla 1st High Criminal Court misclassified the crime.

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The court gave the perpetrator a 14-year prison sentence, which is like a reward.

According to the family's lawyer, Perihan Ceviz Turasay, the evidence, including forensic reports and witness statements, indicates that Korkut's actions should be considered intentional homicide of a spouse and against women. The appeal details that Ummahan Korkut died from blunt force trauma to the head, following a pattern of systematic abuse and threats. The family's legal team argues that the court failed to properly consider these factors.

The appeal also points to procedural issues, such as the rejection of requests to hear certain witnesses and obtain expert opinions, and the reliance on the testimony of a child witness. The defense's argument, which included a statement questioning the purpose of marriage if a wife does not cook and care for children, has been strongly condemned by the victim's family as unacceptable and exceeding the boundaries of legal defense.

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The court gave the perpetrator a 14-year prison sentence, which is like a reward. The court, instead of punishing the perpetrator for intentional homicide, qualified the committed crime as intentional injury resulting in death to a spouse and gave the perpetrator a 14-year prison sentence, which is like a reward.

"The court gave the perpetrator a 14-year prison sentence, which is like a reward," stated family lawyer Perihan Ceviz. She elaborated that the court based its decision on the perpetrator's statements and the testimony of his family, who allegedly ignored years of systematic violence against Ummahan. In contrast, the testimonies of Ummahan's mother, brother, and another witness, who spoke about the systematic abuse and death threats, were dismissed because they were not direct eyewitnesses to the killing itself. The victim's mother had reportedly heard Yunus Korkut threaten to kill Ummahan the day before the incident.

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What is the point of marriage if the victim does not cook and care for these children? Then everyone who gets married should enroll their children in a children's home.