Ebru Açıkalın, who was subjected to violence by A.D., has died: Prosecutor's office issues non-prosecution decision for 'incitement to suicide'!

Sinem Nazlı Demir - 12punto.com.tr

A.D., who subjected Ebru Açıkalın, his partner of 13 years, to systematic violence, assaulted her again on November 20, 2024, at their home in İzmir. Ebru's young son, who noticed the situation, informed his older brother and grandmother. 

A.D. then threatened and insulted Ebru's mother and son, who had arrived at the house, with a weapon. In the meantime, Ebru took the gun from A.D.'s hand, locked herself in the bathroom, and ended her life with the handgun. 

Ebru Açıkalın, who lost her life, was laid to rest following an autopsy.

As part of the investigation launched after the incident, reports confirmed that Ebru Açıkalın had been beaten before she died. The prepared indictment stated that A.D. had “assaulted Ebru Açıkalın in a manner that would not heal with simple medical intervention.” A lawsuit was filed against the suspect, seeking up to 8 years in prison for ‘armed threat’ and ‘intentional injury’ against Açıkalın, and up to 7 years each for ‘armed threat’ and ‘insult’ against one of her children and Ebru Açıkalın's mother, Melahat Açıkalın.

NON-PROSECUTION DECISION FOR INCITEMENT TO SUICIDE FILE

Açıkalın's family, through their lawyer Dorşin Bingölbalı, also filed a complaint for A.D. to be tried for the crime of 'incitement to suicide,' arguing that it was established that their daughter had been beaten before her suicide and was forced into it. However, the Karşıyaka Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a non-prosecution decision on the grounds that Ebru Açıkalın “committed suicide of her own volition, and no person was identified who engaged in acts such as inciting, encouraging, or assisting in the suicide.”

“A.D. THREATENED EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE BY SAYING ‘I WILL KILL YOU ALL’”

Speaking to 12punto, the lawyer for Ebru's family, Dorşin Bingölbalı, stated that A.D. had been subjecting Ebru to violence and threats for a long time. Bingölbalı said that Ebru's eldest son from her first marriage also witnessed the incident. The lawyer drew attention to what happened after Ebru's mother, Melahat Açıkalın, arrived at the house with these words:

“Ebru's mother Melahat arrives at the house, and when she arrives, she sees her daughter's hair all over the house. While A.D. was assaulting Ebru, he had pulled out Ebru's hair multiple times. At the time Melahat Açıkalın arrived at the house, A.D. was threatening everyone in the house, saying, 'I will kill you all.' Under threat, Ebru took the gun and locked herself in the bathroom. Ebru's son and mother tried to open the door, but A.D. physically prevented them and did not intervene, claiming the gun was empty. During this time, Ebru ended her life.”

HE HANDS OVER THE WEAPON HOURS LATER, BUT IT IS RECORDED AS “VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERED”

Lawyer Bingölbalı, who stated that A.D. hid the weapon in a cabinet in the house and did not hand it over to the crime scene investigation teams for a long time, and only gave the weapon to the teams after seeing that Melahat Açıkalın did not leave the house so that he would not escape, objects to the situation, saying, “however, this situation was still recorded as 'he surrendered the weapon of his own free will.'”

“THIS IS A FEMICIDE”

Stating that there is evidence of both threats and incitement to suicide in the file, the lawyer explains the situation as follows:

“We have many pieces of evidence and Supreme Court rulings that support this. No action was taken regarding this; a lawsuit was only filed for intentional injury and threat because the prosecutor's office issued a non-prosecution decision on the file we wanted to open for intentional killing. A.D. subjected Ebru to physical and psychological violence and forced Ebru into suicide. This is a femicide.”

Stating that the first hearing of the case in which A.D. is being tried for intentional injury and threat will be held on November 11, Lawyer Dorşin Bingölbalı said that they expect the support of the public and the press regarding the death of Ebru Açıkalın.

News Source: Sinem Nazlı Demir