Turkish sergeant breaks Kurdish woman's nose after chasing her child

A Turkish sergeant broke a woman's nose in the eastern province of Bingöl after scolding her eight-year-old child on the grounds that the child was being too loud. The HDP released a statement saying as long as government officials are given impunity, such attacks will continue.

Monday May 03 2021 05:59 pm

Rahime Ö. was beaten by a sergeant in the eastern province of Bingöl.

Duvar English

A Turkish sergeant assaulted a woman and broke her nose after scolding her child for being too loud in the Karlıova district of the eastern province of Bingöl.

Ferhat K. scolded the woman's child along with other children as they were playing in the basement of an apartment, and threatened the woman to shoot her when she protested his behavior.

Rahime Ö. received a medical examination proving the assault and pressed charges.

She later shared a video showing her bruises, saying: "We do not want to die. If this is what specialized sergeants are doing, who are we to trust then?"

Bingöl'de Uzman Çavuş olan komşusu tarafından darbedilerek burnu kırılan Rahime Ö. isyan etti: Ölmek istemiyoruz. Uzmanlar bunları yapıyorsa biz kime güveneceğiz?

*Bingöl Karlıova Kaymakamlığı, bahsi geçen uzman çavuş hakkında soruşturma başlatıldığını açıkladı. pic.twitter.com/Ghku14k5GU
— Yol TV (@YolTV) May 3, 2021

"We know that those who attack Istanbul Convention are as guilty as the assailants themselves," Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ayşe Acar Başaran wrote on Twitter.

İstanbul Sözleşmesi'ne ve kazanımlara saldıranların şiddetin failleri kadar suçlu olduğunu her zaman dile getirdik. Kadınları kazanımlarından yoksun bırakan başta iktidar ve yetkilileri olmak üzere herkes, her kadına şiddet olayının, her kadın cinayetinin bizzat sorumlusudur. +
— Ayşe Acar Başaran (@ayseacar_b) May 3, 2021

The HDP also released a statement with regards to the incident saying on its Twitter account: "As long as torturer specialized sergeants are awarded with impunity, attacks will continue. These attacks are a result of the state's animosity against Kurds and women."

Bingöl'de R.Ö., uzman çavuş Ferhat K.'nın şiddetine uğradı. Kürt illerinde #İşkenceciUzmanÇavuş’lar cezasızlıkla ödüllendirildikçe saldırılar devam edecektir. Bu politikalar, devletin Kürt ve kadın düşmanlığının bir sonucudur. pic.twitter.com/WUlzOzYk2r
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) May 3, 2021

State-run Anadolu Agency later reported that an investigation was launched into the sergeant and he was detained.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan withdrew Turkey from the Istanbul Convention with a decree dated March 20, prompting outrage domestically and internationally alike.

The convention seeks to prevent violence against women, including domestic violence, and bring an end to legal impunity for perpetrators.

Femicide rates, for which there are no official figures, roughly tripled in Turkey over the last 10 years according to a monitoring group.