Death of İpek Er
İpek Er was an 18-year-old student from Batman who died on 18 August 2020 following a suicide attempt on 16 July. She claimed that she had been drugged and raped by Musa Orhan, a specialized sergeant in the Turkish army, and that he had done so before and that she could complain, but he would not be harmed by it. Questioned by the authorities, he initially denied any wrongdoing, but after a forensic investigation he alleged that he had been intoxicated. Text messages in which he claimed to have raped Er repeatedly were circulated on social media.
Events
Er's family notified the police when she went missing on 24 June. She was found on 3 July in a house in Kurtalan, Siirt. Her family filed a criminal complaint against Orhan with the Siirt prosecutor's office on 7 July, stating that he had raped and abducted Er. According to her family, she had told him that she could not return home after the rape unless he married her. He reportedly sent her to a cousin of his in Izmir and said they would marry soon, but then turned off his phone so he could not be contacted. An investigation was begun on 10 July, together with a request that he be dismissed from the military. On 16 July, Er attempted to kill herself with her father's rifle. She survived but was badly injured and subsequently transferred to a hospital in Batman.Death
On 18 August 2020, Er died after twenty days in the Batman hospital. Following her death, several organizations demanded the arrest of Orhan.Legal prosecution
Following Er's suicide attempt, a campaign demanding the arrest of Orhan began in Turkish society and women's organizations. The next day, 17 July, Orhan was detained by Turkish authorities and questioned by a judge. After a week, the court ordered Orhan's release pending trial on the grounds that there was no flight risk. The decision was appealed by both the Siirt Bar Association and the public prosecutor. Their objections were not successful. On 27 July, a criminal sexual misconduct investigation of Orhan was begun. On 1 September, the Ministry of the Interior announced that Orhan had been dismissed from the military.The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey reported that Orhan's trial began on 16 October. Orhan attended court by video call from Ankara and several lawyers and potential observers were not allowed into the courtroom due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The court postponed further deliberations until 25 February 2021. On 25 February, Orhan didn't attend the hearing in person but over a video conference system and reserved the right to remain silent. The mother of İpek demanded his arrest, a request which was dismissed. In December 2021, a Court in Siirt sentenced Orhan to a prison term of 10 years, but the court did not order his arrest.