(starts)

A husband is on trial for fatally smashing his wife’s head against a wall just days after she gave birth to their child.

Mahmut Muhammet Ozyer, 29, is currently on trial in Kilis, south-central Turkey for the murder of 27-year-old Fatime Gul Ozyer.

The alleged assault took place at the couple’s home in Kilis on 13th October last year, just 20 days after Fatime had given birth to their child.

The new mother was seriously injured in the attack and was taken to hospital, where she died from a brain haemorrhage a week later.

Ozyer was arrested and remanded in custody. He appeared in court on 4th October.

During the hearing – attended by the victim’s parents and lawyer – Ozyer denied being responsible for his late wife’s death.

He told the judge: “I did not hit my wife’s head against the wall. I just slapped her. My wife banged her head against the wall herself.

“If I had hit her on the head as accused, my wife would have told the police. We gave our statements to the police and then I was suddenly arrested.

“I want my release and acquittal.”

Fatime’s family’s lawyer, Ibrahim Halil Demircioglu, told local media after the hearing that there were contradictions in Ozyer’s statement.

He accused him of attacking and killing Fatime while drunk and demanded he be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, which carries a minimum term of 36 years before eligibility for parole.

Ozyer’s next and final hearing is scheduled for 18th October.

Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July last year.

According to the 2021 Annual Data Report announced 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 “a digital memorial for women killed by violence” and is updated daily, 304 femicides have taken place in Turkey so far this year.

(T4/ends)