Court says woman who murdered rapist ‘had no other choice’

GAZİANTEP - Doğan News Agency

Hürriyet photo

A 43-year-old Turkish woman who was arrested for killing her alleged rapist had no other choice but to kill her attacker, a Gaziantep court said today, releasing its detailed reasoning behind her 2012 acquittal.

Nafiye K. stabbed her rapist after filing countless complaints about him, asking police forces and courts for protection, allegedly without success. The man, identified as Ali Kalkan, had raped the woman at gunpoint several times and had been harassing her for months, even following her when she left the southeastern province of Gaziantep for another city.

Nafiye K. arranged to meet Kalkan on Nov. 21, 2011, at the Gaziantep bus station after his repeated phone calls. When he allegedly attempted to rape her again at the meeting site, the woman took out a knife and stabbed him to death.

She fled the scene after the act but was soon caught by officers. She remained under arrest for a year before the court ruled in her favor, ruling that the killing was self-defense and releasing her.

The detailed decision of the court underlined that Nafiye K.’s previous attempts to avoid her rapist had included moving to a different city. The court also cited her repeated calls to courts and policies forces.

The court stated that Nafiye K.’s mental state, and her assumptions about the possible failure of any further request for assistance from the government based on her previous experiences, contributed to feelings of desperation, making her believe that “she had no other choice” but to kill Kalkan.

“It should be accepted that the suspect had no other choice to protect herself from the sexual assault that was certain to be repeated,” the court said.