ÊLIH - Four years have passed since the death of İpek Er, who was raped by Specialized Sergeant Musa Orhan. Orhan's sentence is pending at the Court of Cassation.
İpek Er, 18, who was raped by specialist sergeant Musa Orhan in Qubîn (Beşiri) district of Êlih (Batman), filed a complaint against Orhan to Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on July 7, 2020. Er then attempted suicide with a letter she left behind on July 16. Er was seriously wounded and taken to Batman Regional Hospital, where she died on August 18. The indictment prepared by Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on July 27, 2020 within the scope of the investigation stated that the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) report confirmed the perpetrator's act against İpek Er and demanded Musa Orhan's arrest on the charge of “qualified sexual assault”.
SENTENCE AWAITS AT THE COURT OF APPEAL
While the reactions on virtual media about Er's suicide and Orhan's not being arrested increased, Orhan, for whom a warrant was issued by Siirt 1st High Criminal Court, surrendered. Orhan, whose statement was taken at the police station, was arrested on August 19, 2020. After Orhan's lawyer appealed to Siirt 2nd High Criminal Court, he was released on August 25. Orhan was sentenced to 12 years in prison for “qualified sexual assault” at Siirt 1st Assize Court on December 3, 2021, but the sentence was reduced to 10 years with a “good behavior” discount. The court also applied judicial control measures on the grounds that the perpetrator had “no suspicion of escape” and decided to try him without arrest. Orhan's sentence is pending at the Court of Cassation.
Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Party Assembly (PM) member Nurten Üzümcü and Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Êlih Provincial Organization Co-Chair Songül Korkmaz said that Orhan's attack on Er should not be considered only as an individual act, but as a reflection of policies against women.