15-year prison sentence for brother-in-law in niece abuse case

The Karadeniz Ereğli 1st High Criminal Court has announced its verdict regarding H.K., who was on trial for the sexual abuse of 13-year-old M.D.

The court panel sentenced the defendant to 15 years, 7 months, and 7 days in prison. Following the verdict, which came after a trial lasting approximately 15 months, the mother, Yasemin D., and the father, Volkan D., stated that the decision sets a precedent for others.

Stating that justice has been served, Yasemin D. explained that they became aware of the situation after the school counselor noticed the issue and reported it to the police, which initiated the legal process. Yasemin D. noted that the defendant is being tried in four separate criminal files.

Family will continue the legal struggle

Yasemin D. expressed that her daughter showed great courage during this process, saying, "My daughter was attending a school in Ereğli. Upon the complaint of her counselor, we were called to the police station. We learned at the station that my daughter had been abused by my brother-in-law, my own sister's husband, and a difficult process began for us. It had been exactly 1 year and 3 months during this process. We had our ups and downs. Today, our justice did not falter, and the decision we expected was reached. Thank God, he received a 15-year, 7-month sentence for the crime of child abuse. Justice has been served once again. We believed in the supreme justice. We had no doubts about this matter. Our lawsuits regarding this issue are ongoing. We have applications to higher courts. I demand that the necessary sentences be given to the authorities and that there be no reduction in these sentences. My daughter is a hero. I will not hesitate to say her name. My daughter is a hero because she did not bow her head, she did not remain silent. She was threatened; she was threatened with her mother being killed. She was threatened with her father being killed. But in the end, after a long process, my daughter decided to speak up by gathering her self-confidence."

"No one should be afraid"

Emphasizing that one should not remain silent in cases of abuse, mother Yasemin D. issued warnings to families. Yasemin D. said, "No one should be afraid. If there is the slightest bit of abuse, they should immediately go to their mothers, fathers, or the necessary authorities—whether it be the police or the gendarmerie—they should definitely go and not hesitate. Justice is served sooner or later. They should have no doubt about this. I also want to say these things to mothers and fathers. I want to say this as the most important thing. Do not say, 'Oh, he is the uncle, let him kiss her.' 'Oh, he is the brother-in-law, let him show affection.' 'Oh, let him take her out.' We did that. We said, 'Oh, he is the brother-in-law, he is a good person,' and we sent her. We were very close. We paid a very heavy price for the result, but thank God, I think he received the necessary punishment. I want to state that the case will not close here and that I will continue the judicial process with the other lawsuits we have filed. We will go to higher courts. We will file complaints in other cases. I just want to say right now that this person did not just stop with my daughter, of course."