SÊRT -Abdülhamit Ş. and Hüseyin T., who were tried for "qualified sexual abuse" against a child in Berwarî district, were acquitted on the grounds of "lack of evidence"

 

The verdict hearing of the trial of Abdülhamit Şir and Hüseyin Tir, who systematically raped a child for 2 years in the Berwarî (Pervari) district of Sêrt(Siirt), was held at Siirt 3rd High Criminal Court.

 

The child's lawyers and his parents, Siirt Family and Social Services Directorate lawyer, perpetrators Abdülhamit Ş. and Hüseyin T. and the perpetrators' lawyers were present at the hearing. Additionally, Sêrt Bar Association Child Rights Commission and Tevgera Jinên Azad (TJA) activists also watched the hearing.

 

The prosecutor's office repeated its opinion regarding the punishment of the defendants for "qualified sexual abuse" at the hearing held on October 5. The child's lawyers stated that they agreed with the opinion and demanded that the perpetrators be punished.

 

The perpetrator's lawyers, who took the floor afterwards, stated that they did not participate in the opinion and asked for their arrest requests to be rejected.

 

After a short break, the court stated that the evidence against the perpetrators was insufficient and gave an acquittal verdict. After the decision was announced at the hearing, the child's mother had a nervous breakdown.

 

STATEMENT AFTER THE HEARING

 

Sêrt Bar Association Child Rights Commission made a statement regarding the decision. Speaking in the statement, lawyer Sibel Güneş Tardu said: “Despite the prosecution's opinion requesting punishment, the court made a decision that hurt the public conscience and protected the mentality of abuse, and the victim-blaming statements were taken into consideration with a sexist masculine approach. In this state, society's faith in justice has been shaken."

 

'WE WILL CARRY TO APPEAL'

 

Stating that they will object to the decision, Tardu said: “The victim child is being kept elsewhere for reasons of life safety. Social Services cannot ensure that the child is handed over to the family, considering the best interests of the child, so that he or she is not harmed by the defendants outside. Thus, while the defendants must be punished, the victim child is in virtual captivity. We inform the public that we, as the Siirt Bar Association Child Rights Commission, will appeal against the decision and that we will continue to follow the file.”