Forensic pathologists have confirmed that this beautiful young campaigner against gender violence was still alive when her ex-lover broke her bones, put her in a barrel, poured petrol over her and set her alight.
This version of events was confirmed at the ninth hearing of the ongoing trial over the murder of Pinar Gultekin, 27, in the south-western Turkish city of Mugla yesterday (Monday, 24th January).
The young woman’s charred remains were found in a barrel filled with concrete in the rural neighbourhood of Yerkesik in the district of Mentese on 21st July 2020.
Her ex-lover Cemal Metin Avci, a dad of two who was married at the time, is currently on trial for her murder. He has been in preventive custody since his arrest days after the finding of the body.
His brother Mertcan Avci is also a suspect, as his mobile phone signal placed him at the scene of the crime. He is currently on conditional pretrial release.
The prosecutor has also requested that four more people be punished for tampering with evidence. They are the prime suspect’s mother Ayten Avci, his father Selim Avci, his ex-wife Eda Karagun, and his business associate Sukru Gokhan Orhan.
The four are believed to have gone to the scene after the alleged murder. However, they are currently denying the accusations against them.
The prime suspect faces a charge of ‘killing with monstrous feelings or torment’, for which he faces ‘aggravated life imprisonment’, meaning he can only be paroled after serving at least 30 years.
He has admitted to killing the victim. However, he has claimed he strangled her to death before burning her, which the forensic pathologists have now definitively ruled out.
It is believed he murdered the victim because she refused to rekindle their previous relationship.
However, the victim’s family has denied that the two ever had a relationship, claiming instead that the prime suspect, who was aged 32 at the time of the alleged crime, was a jilted stalker.
The victim went missing after she left her home in the neighbourhood of Akyaka in the town of Ula on 16th July 2020. She was a student at the Mugla University School of Economics and campaigned against gender violence.
Her death resonated throughout Turkey, with even President Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking to Twitter at the time to comment: “I have no doubt that the murderer of Pinar Gultekin will receive the heaviest punishment he deserves.
“I will personally follow the case, and as the government of the Republic of Turkey we will do whatever that is required to end the violence against women, which we do not want to ever happen again.
“I wish compassion to Pinar Gultekin, patience for her sorrowful family, friends and loved ones.”
Femicide is an ongoing problem in Turkey, especially after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July 2021.
According to the 2021 Annual Data Report by the ‘We Will Stop Femicide Platform’, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found suspiciously dead.
According to data from the ‘Monument Counter’, which is an online monument established to keep alive the memory of the women who died due to violence against women in Turkey and is updated every day, 20 femicides have taken place since the beginning of 2022.
