Final sentences issued for 2 in child marriage case

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court has delivered final prison sentences for two men involved in a high-profile case concerning the forced marriage of a 6-year-old girl two decades ago.

The case centers on a woman, who alleged that her father, head of an İsmailağa Jamia-affiliated foundation, arranged an imam marriage for her in 2004.

Kadir İstekli, a sect member who was married to the girl, has been sentenced to 36 years in prison. Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, the victim's father, received an 18-year and nine-month term.

This marks a six-year increase in İstekli's sentence and a reduction of one year and three months in Gümüşel's from previous rulings.

Last year's decision also sentenced the victim's mother, Fatıma Gümüşel, to 16 years and eight months in prison. She remains at large.

Meanwhile, authorities decided to separate her case from the current proceedings.

A retrial began on May 6 with the aim of securing harsher sentences. The court reevaluated the case and said İstekli had been penalized for a single offense rather than facing separate charges for “sexual abuse of a child” from 2004 to 2013 and “sexual assault against a spouse” later.

The sentences for the victim's parents should also be increased in accordance with the law “due to their roles as the mother and father,” it added.

Consequently, the case was annulled in terms of both procedure and substance.

The retrial's first hearing, initially scheduled for May 6, was postponed due to the absence of the defendants' legal representatives, with proceedings resuming on June 10 and July 16.

In her testimony, the victim said her marriage was portrayed as “child's play,” and she endured years of sexual assault as a minor, something she just came to terms with as an adult.