Woman killed after refusing captor’s offer

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

Three relatives suspected in the murder have been arrested for the crime, which took place in Alpaslan village in the central province of Afyonkarahisar shortly after the European Court of Human Rights convicted Turkey of not protecting women from domestic violence.

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According to reports, Gürbunar had gone to clean the house of her grandparents, who are in their 90s, and asked Fadime Alparslan, who is married to Gürbunar’s cousin, to help her wash the carpets. The two women washed the carpets until evening, and Gürbunar went to go rest. Alparslan later called Gürbunar to the garden, where she and her two brothers, Tayfun and Seyfi Şahin, allegedly kidnapped the young woman.

The three brought Gürbunar to an empty house nearby and tried to "convince" her to marry Tayfun Şahin, the reports stated. When Gürbunar resisted, they reportedly beat her, breaking her legs and arms. According to reports, Tayfun then attempted to rape Gürbunar, but reportedly could not because of the woman’s broken bones. The suspects then hit Gürbunar on the head to keep her silent, then panicked when she collapsed. When Gürbunar’s grandfather, Veysel Gürbunar, who had been at the mosque praying, started to look for his grandchild, the suspects ran away.

One day later, the gendarmerie arrested the suspects, who admitted to kidnapped Gürbunar in order to force her to marry Tayfun Şahin. The crime was allegedly planned in advance by the suspects, who are accused of placing ropes and bags in the house from before.