Turkish university launches probe into academic for comment on femicides

Duvar English

The public Sakarya University in Turkey's Marmara region announced on Oct. 7 that a new investigation had been opened regarding Ebubekir Sofuoğlu, a faculty member in the History Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, about his social media comments about the murders of İkbal Uzuner and Ayşenur Halil by Semih Çelik.

With this latest inquiry, Sofuoğlu is now under investigation for the fourth time.

The university administration recalled that Prof. Sofuoğlu had previously been reprimanded for "engaging in behavior contrary to the duty of care required by his position and acting in a manner that violated general morality and decency." It was also noted that another investigation against Sofuoğlu is still ongoing as both a disciplinary and criminal case.

In his social media post regarding the murders, Sofuoğlu wrote that the only solution to femicides was to “live in accordance with God's will,” and that punishing murderers would only “kill the mosquito” rather than “drain the swamp.” 

"If this young girl had been raised with Islamic sensitivities, she would never have met this man, who was not her lawful companion, and she would still be alive today. As long as Islamic values continue to be violated, sadly, we will continue to encounter such tragic incidents," the academic stated. 

On Oct. 4, 19-year-old Semih Çelik brutally murdered İkbal Uzuner and Ayşegül Halil in Istanbul. He then died by suicide after jumping from the historic walls.

The country erupted in outrage after it was revealed that the murderer decapitated Uzuner and threw her head from the walls. 

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