Turkish actor Ozan Güven accused of beating girlfriend 

ISTANBUL

Turkish actor Ozan Güven has been accused of beating up his girlfriend Deniz Bulutsuz, who said the domestic abuse lasted an hour at his house in Istanbul.
    
A forensic report showed Bulutsuz sustaining several injuries, including bruises around her eye and on her arms, knees and legs, with cuts from glass and a bleeding eye. 

In a post on Instagram, Bulutsuz vowed she would press charges against him, who she said subjected her to severe violence in his house for an hour. 

She has applied to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office through her lawyer and filed a criminal complaint against the actor.

“Bulutsuz was subjected to violence after reacting to Güven’s behaviors, which were out of line. Bruises formed on her face and body,” the lawyer said in their complaint. 

Photos that emerged in the press showed Bulutsuz with a black eye, which was also bleeding, as well as bruises on parts of her body. 

Conversation on past turned violent 

On June 12, Bulutsuz and Güven went to their friends’ house after having dinner at a restaurant, according to the complaint.

Güven allegedly insulted Bulutsuz in front of everyone when she was talking about her ex-boyfriend during a conversation, the statement said. 

Bulutsuz had dropped the subject at their friends’ house, but the conversation opened up again when the two returned to his house at the end of the night before it turned physically violent. 

The complaint said Güven broke the objects in the house and injured her in her chin while he was trying to fetch a broken lampshade from her and prevented her from leaving when she attempted to do so.

Denying the statements, Güven alleged that it was actually him “who suffered violence.”

The actor also filed a complaint against Bulutsuz and was granted a restraining order against Bulutsuz. 

“Deniz Bulutsuz threatened Ozan Güven, saying she would end his career with statements that hold no truth,” Güven’s lawyer said. 

Silence and support from celebrities 

The abuse quickly became a widely discussed topic on social media outlets in Turkey, with many social media users showing solidarity with Bulutsuz and condemning Güven. 

Social media users and female celebrities called on Güven’s celebrity friends to break their silence and call him out over the abuse. 

“The [one] who applies this violence may be your closest, your friend or your brother. Instead of patting [him] on the back and ignoring [the incident], you can state that you do not accept what [he] has done. True friendship requires it,” said Hazal Kaya, a famous Turkish actress, implicitly criticizing so-called omerta for violent perpetrators in the entertainment industry.

After social media users reacted to the silence in the entertainment world, well-known comedian and actor Cem Yılmaz, a friend of Güven and who has worked with him on several productions, tweeted about the incident.   

“I am not even in a position to be on a ‘side’ of violence against women. This is a non-negotiable issue,” Yılmaz said in a tweet, adding that he understands people demanding him to call out Güven. 

“I do not have anything but being sad about the subject,” he added. 

Several other actresses including Demet Özdemir and Berrak Tüzünataç have said they are in solidarity with Bulutsuz and assured her she “will never be alone.”  

Violence against women remains a widespread and persistent problem. World Health Organization (WHO) data say 38 percent of women in Turkey are subject to violence from a partner in their lifetime, compared to about 25 percent in Europe.