The Turkish
prime minister has condemned the violent murder of a student who resisted
sexual assault. For thousands of enraged demonstrators, the crime highlights
Turkey's problem with violence against women.
Deutsche Welle, 15 Feb 2015
"Whoever
puts out their hands [to harm] women, their hands should be broken," said
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday, speaking to female members of
his center-right Justice and Development Party (JDP) in the southern province
of Antalya.
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined Davutoglu in offering his sympathy to the family of
Özgecan Aslan, a 20-year-old student who was murdered this week after she
resisted rape by a bus driver.
Her death
prompted protests on Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara and southern Turkey, where
Aslan was killed. Thousands of women chanted "You will never walk
alone!" while some were sporting fake wounds made with makeup.
The
protesters also demanded that Aysenur Islam, the woman who acts as Turkey's
family and social policies minister, step down.
Death a
rallying cry
Aslan's
burned body was discovered on Friday after she had been missing for two days.
According to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, she was taking a minibus home on
Wednesday night when the driver, who is now in custody, is said to have tried
to rape her, a fact he has since admitted. She then fired pepper spray in his
eyes, after which the driver stabbed Aslan and hit her over the head.
Women were
encouraged on Sunday to post their own story of sexual harassment or violence
on social media under the hashtag "sendeanlat," or "you tell it
too." Many women described the fear they have going home alone or riding
buses without male escorts.
The crime
is set to become a rallying cry for activists seeking to end violence against
women in a country where hundreds are killed by their husbands every year. In
November, Erdogan stirred their ire when he declared that women were unequal to
men. On another occasion he said that every woman in Turkey should have three children.
Further
demonstrations for womens' rights are expected on Monday.
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