Hundreds of people took part in a silent march that took place yesterday in the province of Trabzon, on Turkey’s northern coast, under the slogan ‘light in the darkness’ to pay silent tribute to Sinem Somun, the latest victim of gender-based violence in Turkey, who was shot dead a few days ago by her husband during the divorce process and who has become the 259th woman murdered so far this year in the country.
The terrible murder took place at around 22:30 on the night of 31 July in Adacık, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Beşikdüzü district. There, Ali Eren Somun, a minibus driver who was under a restraining order and in the process of divorcing Sinem, went to her house and, after an argument and a struggle, shot Sinem, seriously wounding her in the leg and back.
Despite the efforts of doctors to save her, Sinem died, while her killer, who fled the scene, was captured later by security forces sleeping in a tent in a wooded area of Sinop, some 400 kilometres away, and after making a statement was sent to prison awaiting trial. The victim, who was about to start work as a ship’s captain, was buried at the Eynesil cemetery in the Turkish province of Giresun.
Turkish media reported that the march organised yesterday through the streets of the district of Beşikdüzü in Trabzon, organised to remember Sinem Somun and to raise awareness against the murders of women in Turkey, passed completely in silence, with participants marching in groups of 10 carrying candles and lights, without banners or slogans. At the end of the march, participants observed a minute of silence for the victim, followed by a round of applause.
During the march, many of the murdered woman’s family and friends could not hold back their tears; the event was particularly difficult for Gülnaz and Ali Haydar Topaloğlu, grandparents of the victim, who could barely stand and who were accompanied by Yasemin and Andrea Minguzzi, parents of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, the boy who was violently murdered earlier this year in Istanbul and who wanted to take part in the march as a sign of solidarity: “Every year, Ahmet and I used to come to Trabzon. Unfortunately, this year has been full of pain. I still find it hard to understand what happened,” said Mattia’s mother.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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