MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed (Diyarbakır)- Musa Sevim, who shot and killed Meryem Sevim in a café in Amed on November 12,2022, was sentenced to life imprisonment for intentionally killing Meryem by the Diyarbakır 12th High Criminal Court on January 15. Musa Sevim said he had killed Meryem Sevim at the first hearing; however, he claimed that he had not killed Meryem at the final hearing. The court sentenced Y.Ö., who helped Musa Selim in killing Meryem Sevim, to one year and six months in prison for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ruled for the release of M.S.B. and İ.Ç., who were released pending the trial.

Since the killing of Meryem Sevim, the Rosa Women’s Association, Amed Bar Association Women’s Rights Center, the Human Rights Association (IHD) and Free Women’s Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) struggled for justice along with the family of Meryem Sevim.

“The perpetrator has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a 2-year struggle for justice; however, those who helped him have gone unpunished,” said Gülistan Sevim, sister of Meryem Sevim. “We will file an objection to the court decision.”

‘Meryem would be alive today’

Gülistan Sevim stated that not only the perpetrator but also those who helped him must have been sentenced to prison. “For two years and two months, we have been demanding justice for Meryem. The murderer did not kill only Meryem but all our family members. Today, he was sentenced to life imprisonment; however, Meryem did not come back. Meryem was not the first or last victim of femicide. Women are killed every day. If femicide perpetrators had been given the necessary prison sentences, Meryem and other women would be alive today; however, my sister was killed because the authorities are always late for taking the necessary measures. Measures must be immediately taken to prevent more women from being killed.”

Gülistan Sevim criticized the policy of impunity implemented by the judiciary. “Whenever I see Musa Sevim, I remember my sister. Today, there are thousands of families like us. If measures had been taken, these women would not have been killed. If the femicide perpetrators had been sentenced to life imprisonment, these women would not have been killed. As a family waiting for justice for more than two years, we demand justice for all victims of femicide. We struggle and will struggle for justice. All we demand is the end of femicide and all femicide perpetrators not to go unpunished.”