JINHA

KASTAMONU –A Turkish court hasissued another life sentence to a woman who killed her rapist,although male perpetrators of femicide are regularly released after short prison sentences. 24-year-old N.M. received life in prison today on the charge that she killed her rapist in the Black Sea region of İnebolu in 2013.

Turkish courts are notorious for issuing sentence reductions to male perpetrators of femicide, rape and violence against women. The category of sentence reduction for cases involving "unjust provocation" allows for reduced sentences.

Feminist legal scholars have called attention to the fact that judges frequently rule that women victims "provoked" their attackers through actions like asking for a divorce or disagreeing with their husbands. Yet women victims of rape who defend themselves receive no such reductions.

The most recent example of a woman being denied a sentence reduction was the case of NevinYıldırım, sentenced to life in prison for killing her rapist yesterday.  The man had repeatedly raped Nevin at gunpoint. He had threatened and blackmailed her.

On the heels of the controversial NevinYıldırım ruling comes the Turkish courts' decision to give life in prison to 24-year-old N.M., charged withstabbing to death her 34-year-old rapist Murat Çodur in December 2013. In the course of questioning in the case, N.M. said Murat Çodur had raped her. She said that another suspect in the case, a man named E.C., had sexually harassed her.

The court ruled that N.M. had carried out the killing alone, without the cooperation of E.C., and gave her life in prison for murder in the first degree.E.C. was acquitted in the case. He will receive 18 years in prison for sexual abuse.

(fk/cm)