Doctor behind scandalous remarks banned from profession for six months

ISTANBUL

A Turkish doctor who accused a woman victim of a high-profile femicide of consenting to rape before being murdered has been banned from practicing his profession for six months.

The six-month ban given to Mehmet Nuri Aydın, a forensic medicine specialist, by the Ankara Medical Chamber was approved by the Turkish Medical Association (TBB) High Honor Board after the evaluations he made during the investigation into the murder of Şule Çet.

“It is not possible for an adult girl or woman to be raped by force without her consent under normal circumstances. A woman is deemed to have consented to sexual intercourse if she has agreed to have a drink with a man in a secluded place,” he wrote in his report which was submitted to a court later.

The remarks on the report had triggered nationwide anger, prompting non-governmental medical organizations to take action.

Çet was found dead after being pushed down 66 meters from the 20th floor of a skyscraper in Ankara’s upscale Çankaya district in 2018. Forensic evidence showed that she was raped before her death.

The main suspect, Çağatay Aksu, was handed down a life sentence and the other suspect, Berk Akand, received 18 years and nine months of jail time for “being an accessory to murder,” “aggravated sexual assault” and “deprivation of liberty.”