Man receives life sentence for killing Kurdish street musician who refused nationalist song request
A Turkish court has sentenced Mehmet Caymaz to life in prison for stabbing Kurdish street musician Cihan Aymaz to death on the pretext that the latter did not play the nationalist song the former requested.
Duvar English
Anatolia 22nd High Criminal Court in Istanbul has sentenced Mehmet Caymaz to life in prison for fatally stabbing a Kurdish street musician Cihan Aymaz, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on July 8.
In their final opinion, the public prosecutor demanded that the defendant Mehmet Caymaz be sentenced to life imprisonment for “intentional killing.” Caymaz received the sentence over the same charge.
The perpetrator's motive was due to Aymaz's refusal to play a nationalist song that the former requested in Istanbul's Kadıköy district in May 2023.
The song the perpetrator requested was “I’d die for my Turkey,” a piece of nationalist folk music popular among nationalist groups.
After Aymaz refused to play the song, the perpetrator first threatened him, and then stabbed him in the heart.
Aymaz's family members previously stated that the musician had previously faced lawsuits for performing politically-charged songs, and they believe that the attacker's motives were racially motivated.