This brave, young Turkish influencer has shared images allegedly showing the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, and she is calling for justice.
Irem Ay is an influencer with over 55,000 followers on Instagram, and Turkish social media has been taken by storm by the photographs that she has shared, claiming that she was tortured by her ex-husband, whom she names as Berkay Saner.
Irem can be seen bleeding in one photograph after apparently suffering an arm injury, while another, eerie photograph allegedly shows her ex-husband standing over her splayed body and smiling while he takes a selfie after having allegedly beat her unconscious, she claims.
She accompanied the images with the statement: “If I keep silent, every woman to whom I say ‘don’t be silent and don’t be afraid’ will be intimidated and keep silent.
“I’m not afraid.
“While it is easy to make noise when it happens to someone else, when it happens to yourself, you are embarrassed and hold back.
“It’s not you who should be ashamed. No to any form of violence. Especially the violence perpetrated by people who take selfies with pride and smile.
“Now I understand what pain means. What I felt while being beaten until I passed out was not pain.
“It wasn’t the pain I felt while getting stitches to the glass cut on my foot in hospital. The real pain was something that suffocated the heart from head to toe and made one wish to die before they could tell their secret to anyone.
“Look at me, I’m not afraid. Everything will be known and justice will decide.
“You won’t be able to see me cry. I will not cry.”
In an apparent reference to domestic violence, Irem’s sister, Dilan Ay, who is on reality TV, said: “I sacrificed my mother, but I will not sacrifice my sister.”
Apparently speaking about Saner, she added: “You will be punished in court for every behaviour you practised with your sick and perverted ideas, assuming my sister was weak and alone.
“We are not ashamed of what we have been through. Be ashamed of what you’ve done. We will not be silent! “
Dilan explained to her Instagram followers why her sister temporarily deactivated her account, saying: “Let me give you the answer now: she is trying to recover.
“We will now demand an account of all the physical and psychological violence she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Berkay Saner. I was ashamed to expose the murderer who strangled my mother at the time. As if it were my fault. I am no longer afraid of anything.”
She added: “I sacrificed my mother, but I will not sacrifice my sister. That’s what everyone should know.”
It is currently unclear if the siblings have filed a complaint with the police and if the authorities are investigating the claims. No arrests had been announced at the time of writing.
