A Turkish man who was convicted of sexually harassing a young woman on a public bus in central Turkey’s Kayseri province received a reduced sentence that was then suspended, the TR724 news website reported.
Murat B. was sentenced to one year, eight months in prison for inappropriately touching E.K. on a public bus. During the incident, which took place on July 26, 2023, the man also allegedly threatened the woman with “doing worse things to her” and shouted insults.
In his defense Murat B. denied all the allegations and said the woman had blown the incident out of proportion. He was found guilty of sexual harassment and insult and was fined for insulting the woman in addition to the prison sentence, which was ultimately suspended.
Reduced prison sentences are concerningly common in gender-based violence and sexual harassment cases. Turkish women’s rights activists have criticized courts handing down reduced sentences saying it created a culture of impunity.
Courts issue reduced sentences on grounds that the perpetrator was either provoked or demonstrated good conduct at court hearings. Such decisions are at the discretion of the judge.
The smallest things such as verbal insults or wanting to separate from a partner can be considered provocation by the court. In one case a man was awarded a reduced sentence because he had high blood pressure that “caused him to lose control” during an argument with his wife.
Lawyer Esra Baş Erbaş said such court rulings had become more commonplace after Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention.
Despite opposition from the international community and women’s rights groups, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree in March 2021 that pulled the country out of the international treaty, which requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence and similar abuse as well as marital rape and female genital mutilation.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is an international accord designed to protect women’s rights and prevent domestic violence in societies and was opened to the signature of member countries of the Council of Europe in 2011.
Femicides and violence against women are serious problems in Turkey, where women are killed, raped or beaten every day. According to a study by Kadir Has University in Istanbul, 41 percent of Turkish women are subject to sexual harassment at least once in their life.
Many critics say the main reason for the situation is the policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, which protects violent and abusive men by granting them impunity.
