National outcry as student burned alive in a barrel by ex-lover
Forensic pathologists have confirmed a young campaigner against gender violence was still alive when her ex-lover broke her bones, put her in a barrel, poured petrol over her and set her alight in a case that has shocked a nation.
The haunting version of events was confirmed this week during the ninth hearing of the ongoing trial over the murder of Pinar Gultekin, 27, in the south-western Turkish city of Mugla.
The case has rocked the nation, drawing swift condemnation from the country's president.
The young woman's charred remains were found in a barrel filled with concrete in the rural neighbourhood of Yerkesik on July 21, 2020.
Her ex-lover Cemal Metin Avci, a father of two who was married at the time, is currently on trial for her murder. He has been in preventive custody since his arrest days after Ms Gultekin's body was found.
His brother Mertcan Avci is also a suspect after authorities found his mobile phone signal placed him at the scene of the crime. He is currently on conditional pre-trial release.
The prosecutor has also requested that four more people be punished for tampering with evidence. They are the prime suspect's mother Ayten Avci, his father Selim Avci, his ex-wife Eda Karagun, and his business associate Sukru Gokhan Orhan.
The four are believed to have gone to the scene after the alleged murder. However, they are currently denying the accusations against them.
The prime suspect faces a charge of "killing with monstrous feelings or torment" under Turkish law, for which he faces life imprisonment, meaning he can only be paroled after serving at least 30 years.
He has admitted to killing the victim. However he has claimed he strangled her to death before burning her, but forensic pathologists have now definitively ruled out that version of events.
It is believed he murdered the victim because she refused to rekindle their previous relationship.
However, the victim's family has denied that the two ever had a relationship, claiming instead that the prime suspect, who was aged 32 at the time of the alleged crime, was a jilted stalker.
President calls for 'heaviest punishment'
The victim went missing after she left her home on July 16, 2020. She was an economic student and campaigned against gender violence.
Her death has resonated throughout Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking to Twitter to comment: "I have no doubt that the murderer of Pinar Gultekin will receive the heaviest punishment he deserves.
"I will personally follow the case, and as the government of the Republic of Turkey we will do whatever that is required to end the violence against women, which we do not want to ever happen again.
"I wish compassion to Pinar Gultekin, patience for her sorrowful family, friends and loved ones."
Femicide is an ongoing problem in Turkey, especially after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July 2021.
According to the 2021 Annual Data Report by the We Will Stop Femicide organisation, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found suspiciously dead.
According to data from the Monument Counter, an online group established to keep alive the memory of the women who died due to violence against women in Turkey and is updated every day, 20 femicides have taken place since the beginning of 2022.
Australscope
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