16-year-old girl buried alive in 'honor killing' in Turkey

[Al-khiyal]

Medine Memi, diri diri gömüldü

4 Şubat 2010 -- Adıyaman'ın Kahta ilçesinde, evlerinin bahçesindeki kümeste cesedi toprağa gömülü halde bulunan Medine Memi'nin, üzeri toprakla örtülürken sağ olduğu belirlendi. Erkeklerle konuştuğu gerekçesiyle dedesi ve babası tarafından öldürüldükten sonra cesedi kümeste kazılan çukura gömüldüğü iddia edilen Medine Memi'nin cesedine, Malatya Adli Tıp Kurumundaki otopsinin ardından İnönü Üniversitesi Turgut Özal Tıp Merkezinde mikroskobik inceleme yapıldı. İnceleme sonucunda genç kızın elleri bağlı ve canlı gömüldüğü belirlendi. AA muhabirinin Adli Tıp yetkililerinden aldığı bilgiye göre, mide ve ciğerlerinde toprak olduğu belirlenen genç kızın kanında ilaç veya uyuşturucuya rastlanmadı. Vücudunda ciddi darp da olmadığı belirtilen genç kızın, gömüldüğü zaman hayatta ve bilincinin açık olduğunun anlaşıldığı kaydedildi. Yetkililer, şu bilgiyi verdi: ''Medine Memi'nin (16) cesedi 2 metrelik bir çukurda elleri bağlı ve oturur vaziyette bulunmuş, Malatya Adli Tıp Morgu'na gönderilmişti. Burada yapılan ilk otopsinin ardından mikroskobik dediğimiz inceleme de tamamlandı. Çıkan sonuç ürpertici. Çünkü elimizdeki verilere göre, vücudunda ciddi darp izine rastlanmayan, kanında uyuşturucu veya zehirli bir madde bulunmayan genç kız elleri bağlı, canlı ve bilinci açıkken gömüldü. Zira genç kızın mide ve ciğerlerinde yoğun toprak olduğu belirlendi.'' Adıyaman'ın Kahta ilçesinde, 40 gün kendisinden haber alınamadığı belirtilen genç kızın cesedi, ihbar üzerine Kahta İlçe Emniyet Müdürlüğü ekiplerince, Hürriyet Mahallesi Sağlık Caddesi'nde, Ayhan Memi'ye ait evin bahçesindeki kümeste açılan iki metre derinlikteki çukurda bulunmuştu. Cesedin oturur vaziyette bulunduğu belirtilirken, olay yerinde yapılan incelemenin ardından genç kızın cesedi, otopsi yapılmak üzere Malatya Adli Tıp Merkezine gönderilmişti. Olayla ilgili baba Ayhan Memi, dede Fethi Memi ve anne İmmihan Memi gözaltına alınmış, baba ve dede çıkartıldıkları nöbe mahkemece tutuklanmıştı. Baba Ayhan Memi ile dede Fethi Memi, sevk edildikleri mahkemede susma hakkını kullanmıştı.

[Al-khiyal]

Turquie :
Une jeune fille enterrée vivante dans un "crime d'honneur"

ANKARA, Jeudi 4 Février 2010 — Une jeune fille de 16 ans a été enterrée vivante par ses proches, un crime commis dans le sud-est de la Turquie pour laver l'honneur de la famille qui la soupçonnait de fréquenter des hommes, rapporte jeudi l'agence Anatolie, citant les conclusions d'une autopsie. "Medine Memi a été retrouvée en position assise dans une fosse de 2 mètres de profondeur et les analyses ont révélé l'existence de terre dans ses poumons et son estomac, ce qui signifie qu'elle a été enterrée de son vivant", a déclaré à Anatolie un médecin légiste, dont le nom n'est pas précisé. "La jeune fille avait les mains ligotées et était vivante et consciente au moment de ce crime macabre", a dit ce responsable de l'institut de la médecine légale de Malatya, dans le sud-est anatolien peuplé majoritairement de Kurdes, ville voisine de Kahta, où s'est produit le crime. Son corps a été retrouvé dans le jardin de la maison familiale en décembre après que la victime a été portée disparue pendant plus d'un mois. Le père et le grand-père de l'adolescente ont été arrêtés mais ont gardé le silence, selon Anatolie. Le gouvernement et les associations ont accru leurs efforts au cours des dernières années pour mettre un terme aux crimes d'honneur, qui font de nombreuses victimes chaque année. Les sondages montrent qu'ils bénéficient encore d'une large tolérance dans les zones kurdes où ils sont le plus souvent commis. La Turquie, sous la pression de l'Union européenne, a renforcé les peines contre les auteurs de crimes d'honneur qui peuvent désormais être condamnés à la prison à vie.

[Al-khiyal]

Girl buried alive in honor killing in Turkey

February 4, 2010 -- A 16-year-old girl was buried alive by relatives in southeastern Turkey in a gruesome honor killing carried out because she reportedly befriended boys, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday. Acting on a tip, police discovered the body of the girl, identified only as M.M., in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a 2-meter-deep hole dug under a chicken pen outside her house in Kahta, a town in the southeastern province of Adıyaman, the news agency reported.

The body was found in December, around 40 days after M.M. went missing. She is being identified by her initials because she was under the age of 18. Her father and grandfather are suspected in the murder. A subsequent postmortem examination revealed that M.M. had a significant amount of soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that she was buried alive and conscious, forensic experts told the news agency. “The autopsy result is blood-curdling. According to our findings, the girl – who had no bruises on her body and no sign of narcotics or poison in her blood – was alive and fully conscious when she was buried,” one anonymous expert said. The girl’s father and grandfather have been formally arrested and jailed pending trial over her killing, according to the agency. The father is reported to have said in his testimony that the family was unhappy that M.M. had male friends.

The girl was reported as missing and no clues about her disappearance were found for 40 days. Her mother was arrested along with the father, Ayhan, and grandfather, Memi, but later released. The two men were sent to prison by a local court and did not speak in the court. Police had found the body of the girl using an anonymous tip saying that M.M. had been killed based on a decision by a family council and buried under the chicken pen, daily Milliyet reported. The family has nine children, including the girl, and was reported to have told neighbors that she was missing. The girl had made a complaint to police about her grandfather two months before she went missing, saying that he beat her because she talked to boys. Family councils consist of family elders; honor killings are usually decided by such groups.

[Al-khiyal]

Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys

February 4, 2010 -- Turkish police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl they say was buried alive by relatives in an "honour" killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys. The girl, who has been identified only by the initials MM, was found in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a two-metre hole dug under a chicken pen outside her home in Kahta, in the south-eastern province of Adiyaman. Police made the discovery in December after a tip-off from an informant, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on its website. The girl had previously been reported missing. The informant told the police she had been killed following a family "council" meeting.

Her father and grandfather are said to have been arrested and held in custody pending trial. It is unclear whether they have been charged. The girl's mother was arrested but was later released. Media reports said the father had told relatives he was unhappy that his daughter – one of nine children – had male friends. The grandfather is said to have beaten her for having relations with the opposite sex. A postmortem examination revealed large amounts of soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that she had been alive and conscious while being buried. Her body showed no signs of bruising. The discovery will reopen the emotive debate in Turkey about "honour" killings, which are particularly prevalent in the impoverished south-east. Official figures have indicated that more than 200 such killings take place each year, accounting for around half of all murders in Turkey.

[Al-khiyal]

Turkish girl, 16, 'buried alive by her father because she had friendships with boys'

February 5, 2010 -- A 16-year-old Turkish girl was buried alive under a chicken coop by relatives because she talked to boys. The body of Medine Memi was found in a sitting position with her hands tied in a 6ft hole dug in the courtyard of her family's home in Kahta, south-eastern Turkey, 40 days after she had been reported missing. The hole had been cemented over.

The teenager had a large amount of soil in her lungs and stomach - showing she suffered a slow and agonising death. 'The autopsy result is blood-curdling. According to our findings, the girl – who had no bruises on her body and no sign of narcotics or poison in her blood – was alive and fully conscious when she was buried,' said a forensics expert. Suspicion that her death had been especially brutal led to the commissioning of a report by university scientists after the original post-mortem examination. Medine Meme's father and grandfather have now been arrested and jailed awaiting trial. The girl's mother was arrested, but later released.

It has emerged that the girl had made a complaint to police about her grandfather two months before she went missing, saying that he beat her because she talked to boys. In addition her father Ayhan is said to have told relatives that he was unhappy that his daughter - one of nine children - had male friends. Police made the grisly discovery in December following a tip-off from an informant. After Medine's body was found in December, her mother Immihan said: 'She tried to take refuge at the police station three times, and she was sent home three times.'

The case has caused outrage in Turkey and reopened the debate over so-called honour killings which are particularly prevalent in the predominantly Kurdish south-east of the country. Such killings are usually decided by a council of relatives which consist of the elders of the family. Official figures state there are more than 200 such killings a year, around half of all murders in Turkey. One commentator wrote on the website of a religious TV station: 'The punishment for whosoever should kill with intent is the hell where he will languish forever. Allah has cursed him and prepared great pain for him. You named your daughter after the holy city of Medina but your mind is left over from the earlier Age of Ignorance.'

[Al-khiyal]

Girl buried alive for befriending boys

February 9, 2010 -- Prosecutors in Turkey are seeking life in jail for the father and grandfather of a girl who was buried alive for befriending boys. The pair were arrested after the body of 16-year-old Medine Memi was found in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a hole in a chicken pen outside her house in Kahta town, Adiyaman province, 40 days after she went missing. A post mortem examination showed a significant amount of soil in her lungs and stomach, meaning she was buried alive, forensic experts said. Her father Ayhan Memi, 40, and grandfather Fethi Memi, 65, have refused to talk to investigators and prosecutors since their arrest in early December in the Kurdish town. The judicial source said they would likely face a charge of "premeditated homicide with aggravating circumstances, perpetrated with cruelty" being drawn up by prosecutors. Turkish law demands life in prison if convicted of those charges. The teenager "never went to school and perhaps barely knew how to read and write," Muhammed Cevik, who owns the local Kahta newspaper, said. So-called honour killings - when a family member is called on to kill a female relative considered to have sullied their honour - claim many victims every year despite attempts by the government and associations to halt them. Surveys show such crimes still enjoy some measure of tolerance in Turkey's mainly Kurdish south-east, where they are most prevalent.

[Al-khiyal]

Holistic approach

February 14, 2010 -- Trying to imagine the last thoughts of 16-year-old Medine Memi is making me suffocate. Each shovelful of earth slung down by her grandfather and father buried not only Medine but indeed all the insufficient and non-serious approaches of the state and society regarding domestic violence. Memi lived in Kahta, Adıyaman, with her family, including eight brothers and sisters. One night her father and grandfather sent the whole family away except Medine. They said that Medine should stay at home to take care of the male relatives. When the family returned one day later, they were told that she had run away from home, but no one went to the police station to notify them about her. But later an informant tipped off the police that she’d gone missing, and her body was found in a cement-filled hole in a small poultry coop in the garden of the house. When her body was found, it was December. I would like to underline, it was December. At that time some reports suggested that she went to the police station at least once before she was killed to complain about domestic violence towards her and her mother by her father and grandfather, but apparently the police took no action.

But her story and the fatal mistake of the police was not on the agenda, so she was just the subject of some short articles. Her fate did not draw as much attention as Cem Garipoğlu, who beheaded his girlfriend. There was no fan club for her, the so-called experts did not discuss the issue on TV for hours and hours, the ministers and prime minister did not comment on Memi as they did on the Garipoğlu case. However, the expected behavior is supposed to different. The Interior Ministry, for example, is supposed to act rapidly, should explain to the public whether Memi’s police complaint was really not taken seriously. The experts are supposed to discuss how to prevent further killings, but none of that happened. Actually, if the autopsy report had not indicated that she was buried alive and while conscious, she would already be forgotten. Only after the publication of the autopsy did the media pay attention to her case, and even only after that did some deputies take action. Gaye Erbatur, from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and Fatma Kurtalan, from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), asked the Interior Ministry whether there was any investigation into the apparent negligence of the police.

What is really worrying to me, increasing my feeling of suffocation, is the thought that maybe some killings are considered “normal,” or worse yet, routine. Everybody was so quick to label it an honor killing because allegedly Memi’s male relatives claimed that she had been talking with boys. Do we really know that? Why did it never cross our minds to question it? Maybe there was another motive behind the murder, and the honor excuse is just that: the male relative killers trying to find an excuse. Imagine, we are talking about a 16-year-old girl who is brave and knowledgeable enough to complain about her violent male relatives to the police, a real challenge to the male authority. While even many women and children in big cities hesitate to go the police when they are victims of domestic violence, she was brave enough to seek help, something just increasing my suffocation when I think that she was turned away.

By the way, to term those kinds of killings “honor killings” is something not acceptable; why are those kinds of killings called killings of passion or insanity when they occur in the West, but “honor killings” when they take place in the East? This approach is valid not only within Turkey but for Western countries, too. When I read comments on the Internet written by Westerners, either they have this attitude of “Eastern people do that” or they link the murder of Medine with Islam. In Turkey this discourse turns into “Kurds do that.” Some are linking it with Islam, too; even worse, I read some comments which suggested that such crimes are committed due to the Islamist ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Well the government has to be blamed, of course, for not asserting the political will to fight domestic violence, but to try to gain political benefit from such a case is just killing more. Turkey needs to develop a women’s rights-oriented holistic approach before it, too, is suffocated.