Woman freed after killing abusive husband lives farm life
ANTALYA
A Turkish woman, who shot and killed her husband after years of violent abuse and was freed by the court that ruled that she was acting in self-defense, is now spending her days on a farm in the southern province of Antalya.
“I spent 14 years in torture. A man is dead, but it could have been my two daughters and me. These days will pass, too,” 31-year-old Melek İpek told Demirören News Agency on June 1.
İpek killed her husband with a shotgun after a day of torture and death threats on Jan. 7 and was arrested with bruises and wounds on her face.
She testified in court that her husband routinely handcuffed her and beat her for hours while threatening to kill her and their children.
The court took similar testimony from the two daughters and ruled that the woman acted in “self-defense to protect her physical and sexual integrity.”
Been free after 108 days in prison, İpek moved to a farm outside the city center of Antalya.
She is now living with her daughters, sheep, dogs, chickens and geese on the farm, trying to forget the old days.
When asked how a day passes on the farm, she replied, “I spend my mornings with my sheep and afternoons on the land where we grow vegetables.”
Stating that just before dinner time, she takes her sheep out for grazing, İpek said that spending time with sheep gives her peace of mind.
Daily farm work is not the only thing she does during the day as she is also taking study lessons in her spare time.
Noting that she has a dream, İpek said, “I want to be a math teacher. I will try to qualify for the university entrance exam. If I cannot succeed in entering a university this year, I will try again next year.”
While elaborating her dream, she said, “I want to educate children to become good souls. I want to raise good individuals for the coming generations.”
İpek also said that her biggest regret in her life was that she never shared her years of torture with her family.
“If I knew then what I know now, I would tell all to my father and mother. Children should tell everything to their parents. We have to teach them to say ‘No’ freely. They should not be in fear while speaking to their families.”
People who know İpek’s story remember her with bruises on her face and her red coat she wore while going into prison.
“I left it there. I left everything there. I did not take anything that reminded me of old days when I was coming out of the prison,” she said.
She also wanted to thank all the inmates she spent time with.
“They all helped me. Before every trial, there were saying that the judge will free me. I never believed that.”
Stressing that she was sorry for what happened in January, she also apologized to her husband’s family.
“I am sorry for them. I never wanted things to happen this way,” she said.
