A man faces life in prison after a Turkish court sentenced him for the murder of a female student, a crime that stirred nationwide anger.
Cagatay Aksu was sentenced on Wednesday by the Ankara court to life in jail for the `deliberate murder’ of 23-year-old student, Sule Cet, in May 2018.
According to state news agency, Anadolu, Aksu was separately handed 12 and a half years in jail for sexual assault.
The Anadolu news Agency said Cet was raped, beaten to death and her body pushed from the 20th floor of a high-rise building in Ankara.
A second defendant who was in the flat, Berk Akand, was sentenced to 18 years and nine months in prison for aiding Aksu.
Violence against women is a common problem in Turkey. Cet’s murder became a high-profile case in Turkey when it prompted women’s right groups to push for justice.
“The life sentence is a precedent and is our proof that such `Femicide’ cannot be covered up, justified,’’ a post from Kadin Meclisleri, a local rights platform, on Twitter.
According to a platform called ‘We Will Stop Femicides’, a total of 440 women were killed by men in Turkey in 2018 and 317 others were sexually abused.
dpa/NAN
