Hülya ADIYAMAN

SİİRT- Case of 25 year-old teacher Esin Güneş whose dead body was found at the bottom of a rift in Siirt and whose death was claimed to be happened accidentally ―while the divorce case that she has filed against her husband, from whom she was exposed violence, was proceeding ― is only one example of the women-killings. Because the suspect Güven Güneş is still not under arrest, the Women, who give support to family of Esin, said: “We want judges and prosecutors to come to their decisions by looking into our eyes. And we want them not to be able to apply a reduction in the punishments for those men so easily.”  

Only according to official records, right to life of 5 women per day is taken away in Turkey. Case of 25 year-old teacher Esin Güneş whose dead body was found at the bottom of a rift in Siirt and whose dead was claimed to be happened accidentally ― while the divorce case that she has opened against her husband, from whom she was exposed violence, was proceeding ― is only one of the women-killings in question. Esin Güneş’s mother Fahriye Işık, who does not accept the definition of suicide, asserting that her daughter is murdered by her son-in-law Güven Güneş, said that “This case will not be closed, these prosecutors, these judges may know it as such. I will take this case to European Court of Human Rights.” After the event, institutions and associations which work on the woman issue were held their stand in front of the court of justice to get involved in the judicial process at dates of trial .

Ever-mounting women support

The Siirt Municipality Berfin Women’s Counseling Center, SELİS Women’s Association, Women from Labor Movement Party, Ceren Women’s Association, Bağlar Women’s Cooperative, Metropolitan Municipality DİKASUM, Bağlar Municipality KARDELEN, the Sur Municipality Women’s Support Centre (KADEM) , Yenişehir Municipality EPİDEM, DİSK Women’s Comission, İMECE, Siirt Mothers for Peace Initiative, BDP Siirt Provincial Organization, People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), KESK, İHD, TUHAD-DER, Platform to Stop Women Killings are the followers of Esin Güneş case.

Advocate of Esin Güneş Gökçesu Özgül, who is at the same time the legal counselor of ‘Platform to Stop Women-Killings’, indicated that there was no investigation made in the house of Esin and that the file was closed. Gökçesu pointed out that the file is again opened one and a half year later. And she said, “My involvement in case happened with Platform to Stop Women Killings. But after the rejection of demand of Platform to be involved in case, I have involved individually.”

‘Acquital in the killings of women should not be returned!'

Gökçesu, who mentioned the assertions in direction that Esin have committed to suicide at 24 August 2010 at Siirt in the area that called Tillo, stated that the file have been closed because prosecution office did not do a detailed and efficient research. Gökçesu pointed out that at the moment that the case has been submitted to the court, there was no investigation made in the house of Esin and said that: “The file has been opened again after one and a half year from the closure. First session took place at November 2011. Now we are at fourth session.  No investigation was made, DNA analysis was made at the public hospital at which Güven Güneş was working. Now we have made a petition of investigation again and our claim is sustained. DNA analyses have been demanded again. We are waiting them to be filed.” Gökçesu, who has pointed out that suspect Güven Güneş is still under conditions of trial without arrest, told that “We expected the imprisonment decision to be given. We are repeating this petition every session. After this process, we shall wait for the arrest warrant to be given. We are expecting them not to be acquitted.”

'All of the state institutions are on behalf of man”            

The Representative of ‘Platform to Stop Women Killings’ Berna Görgülü claimed that this case is not named as women-killing by them and mentioned that women killıngs are in relation with ‘the roles of women’. Berna pointed out the inequality of gender roles and said that, “There are roles of men and roles of women in society. When we women do not want to fullfill those roles, when we violate these roles, what we get back is our being murdered. We are paying the price of these roles with our lives.  And we are defining it as women-killings”. Berna, who says that all women face the danger of being  murdered, expressed that they thought that all instutions of justice, all state institutions are processed on behalf of man, on behalf of the rich. Berna, who articulated that they believe that to  mold public opinion would affact the case result, said, “We want judges and prosecutors to decide by looking into our eyes. And they are not be able to reduce the penalty of these men so easily.” 

'Country of the murdered women'

Berna expressed that in order to bring an end to women-killings, equality between man and woman should be provided. She also recorded that “Turkey is the country of the murdered women. With ever-mounting murders, our right to life is taken away.  When it comes to the penalties imposed on woman-killers, abatement is constantly implemented by giving many justifications such as unjust provocation, good conduct, future, effective repentance. Unless we provide the equality between men and women ― political, social, economic, I am mentioning all the equalities ― woman-killings will not vanish. But, until we provide this equality, of course there are many essential things that should be done. And this is the activation of the state institutions. To protect the rights of everyone who lives in this country is the duty of the state. The state should arrange its laws accordingly. It should arrange Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) accordingly, for instance. In this country, none of the women-killers is given heavy sentence.”

‘Most of the evidences did not be collected’

From one of the intervener advocates of the case, Abdulhakim Gider indicated that after the application of Esin Güneş’s family to himself, they have took step. Abdulhakim Gider, mentioning that they have conveyed to prosecution that a research has to be done at Esin’s house, told that, “We have indicated that Esin was keeping diary and this diary has to be obtained. We wanted camera records of the gas stations situated at Aydınlar district and itinerary to be taken. We have introduced a demand to her phones to be taken and examined. Of course, most of the evidences has not been collected. Only particular ones have been collected.”

Demand of women institutions to intervene has been overruled

Sociolog Katibe Demir, who serves at The Siirt Municipality Berfin Women’s Counseling Center, remarking the importance of vitalization of gender equality, said “Avoidance of woman-killings is not possible without the substantiation of social change. Therefore,  destruction of this legal system  made by favour of man is very substantial.” Katibe, pointing out that the criminals of the Esin Güneş -case should be prosecuted, stated that the fair-completion of the case will set a precedent for women-killing cases. Katibe, saying on behalf of Women’s Counseling Center, that they are against all kinds of women-killing. Moreover, she said: “We are following the case closely. Otherwise the case would be obscured. Truths would not be revealed. But our demand to follow the proceeding should be accepted. We, in spite of everything, shall continue to raise our voice for Esin Güneş as we have done up to now.”

Photograph-Camera: Hülya Adıyaman

Translator:Ceren Gülbudak

JINHA

(ha/ho/hp)