22 July 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
A 17-year-old girl, whose partially buried body was found in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır nearly one month ago, had been murdered by her brother “in the name of honor,” according to a written statement issued by the Diyarbakır Police Department on Tuesday.
The Police Department noted that the girl, identified as Şeyma G., was found dead on June 24 in Diyarbakır’s Kayapınar district. Diyarbakır police, who carried out an intensive investigation into the incident, revealed that Şeyma G. had been strangled. According to the statement, Şeyma G. repeatedly ran away from home and had stayed in a shelter for women affiliated with the Diyarbakır Provincial Social Services Directorate on the grounds that she experienced violence at the hands of her family. Şeyma’s family searched for her when they learned of her departure from the shelter. After she was found by family members, she was killed by her brother, identified as Y.G, as an “honor killing” and was then buried. Şeyma’s body was discovered by the owners of the property.The police statement also noted that Y.G. was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), an outlawed fundamentalist organization. Y.G., who was detained during the Diyarbakır police investigation, was questioned and then jailed on July 16.
