Antalya court orders arrest of man accused of burning woman with cigarette
ANTALYA
A court has ordered the arrest of a man for verbally and physically assaulting three women on the street in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, putting out a cigarette on one of them, Doğan News Agency reported on May 16.The man, identified only by the initials B.T., was detained on May 13 in Antalya’s Muratpaşa district, after allegedly assaulting and pushing a woman and later putting out his burning cigarette on the woman’s 20-year-old daughter. The man was chased away by locals who witnessed the assault and eventually detained by police.
After his interrogation at the police quarters, the suspect was referred to the court, where he testified to the judge but was released shortly after.
‘You can’t interfere with my smoking’
The 20-year-old daughter, Dilay Özel, said in her testimony that the attack occurred at around 18.40 p.m. local time when she, her mother and aunt were walking home.
Özel said that after her aunt lit her cigarette, the suspect called out: “What has this country come to when women are smoking on the street?”
After Özel’s mother replied, “This is a free country, you can’t interfere with my smoking,” the latter reportedly swore at the three women and said, “Why are you taking it personally?”
A more heated argument ensued, during which the suspect allegedly kicked the woman.
“While I was trying to separate [them], the man put out his cigarette on my throat. He ran away while I was squirming in pain,” the young woman said during her testimony.
Soon after the incident, the three women received a doctor’s report stating that they had been assaulted from the Antalya Research and Training Hospital.
“I will carry the scar of that attacker on my throat for the rest of my life. It has come to a point where we cannot even walk on the street. We will sue [him],” Dilay Özel told reporters.
B.T. was detained once again yesterday and arrested for “intentionally causing injury,” “insults” and “uttering threats.”
