MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – In Amed, four women were killed by men, six women died under suspicious circumstances and five women were attempted to be killed in a year, according to the report released by the Diyarbakır Network Against Violence. In the city, more than a thousand women victims of violence applied to the Women’s Rights Center of Diyarbakır Bar Association to receive legal support. The good behavior and unfair provocation discounts given to perpetrators of violence against women show that the judiciary supports men.

The Women Rights Center of the Diyarbakır Bar Association has provided psychological and legal support to women victims of violence for years. In 2022, the center received more than 1,100 applications from women, who were subjected to physical violence and more than 1,300 applications from women, who were subjected to psychological violence. Women lawyers, who have followed the legal process of the applications, have faced the obstacles of the judiciary many times. The request of the center to follow the femicide and violence cases in the city is rejected by the courts.

Women lawyers face obstacles

In an interview with NuJINHA, Esmer Özer, member of the Women Rights Center of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, spoke about the legal process faced by women victims of violence and their legal struggle as lawyers. She began her speech by stating that they have received more than a thousand applications from women victims of physical violence in the city in a year. She said they are not accepted to get involved in the femicide and violence against women cases by courts.

‘Our request to get involved in the cases is rejected’

“Unfortunately, the courts do not accept our center’s request to get involved in the femicide and violence against women cases. We can only follow the cases as a party attorney. Almost all of our requests to get involved in the legal cases have been rejected. Thus, the authority given by the Law on Lawyers to bar associations is prevented by courts. This authority is given to bar associations to defend human rights. However, the mechanisms ensuring the supervision of human rights are left ineffective when courts reject these requests.”

‘There is no effective investigation’

Stating that when the center gets involved in and follows lawsuits, this raises awareness of public and affects the punishments given to perpetrators, Esmer Özer also drew attention to the slow legal process about femicide and violence against women cases. “Unfortunately, the judiciary system is very slow. The slow process becomes more obvious especially in lawsuits about women, the lawsuits that cause reaction in society. These lawsuits may result in impunity due to some gaps in law. No effective investigations are carried out. When we look at some of the indictments, we see that no investigation has been carried out. This process also affects the legal procedure.”

“Reduced sentence is given based on gender roles’

Speaking about the good behavior and unfair provocation discounts given to perpetrators of violence against women, Esmer Özer said, “The unfair provocation discount and the good behavior discount should be separately evaluated. When courts give unfair provocation discounts to perpetrators of violence against women according to gender roles. We see that women are subjected to legal discrimination.”

‘Women are subjected to discrimination everywhere’

 Noting that they struggle against legal discrimination against women and that they defend women's rights against the male codes of the judiciary, Esmer Özer told us that they would continue to follow women’s cases. “We talk about women who are a disadvantaged group. They are economically disadvantaged, social codes confine them to more private spaces. When they leave private spaces, they are subjected to attacks. Even private spaces are not safe for them. Women are subjected to discrimination everywhere. We struggle against legal discrimination faced by women and we defend women’s rights against the male codes of the judiciary.”