13/01/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
The first hearing of the case on appeal was held regarding the sentencing of disabled trans woman D.D., who was attacked by a man named Halil G. and stayed in intensive care for days, for injury.

The final hearing of the case against Halil G., who attacked and injured trans woman sex worker D.D. in Ankara and caused her to be in danger of death, was held on 21 May 2024. In the final hearing after the opinion that both parties should be sentenced for attempted intentional homicide, the court sentenced the defendant Halil G. to 6 years and 3 months for attempted intentional homicide and reduced the sentence. In addition, Halil G. was sentenced to 7 months and 15 days imprisonment and a fine of 6.000 TL for opposing the ‘Law on Firearms, Knives and Other Instruments’.
The court sentenced D.D., who was stabbed by Halil G. and was in danger of death, to 11 months and 7 days of imprisonment for intentional injury without applying the provisions on self-defence and the sentence was postponed.
D.D's lawyers appealed the first instance court's decision.
The first hearing of the appeal case was held 10 January at the 1st Criminal Chamber of Ankara Regional Court of Appeals. While D.D. attended the hearing, the defendant Halil G. did not attend the hearing.
17 May Association, Ankara Bar Association LGBTI+ Rights Centre and Women's Assemblies of We Will Stop Femicide Platform also followed the trial.
‘I was trying to save myself during the attack’
It was noteworthy that before the identification, the court committee said to D.D., whose right hand is 80 per cent disabled and who was sentenced for injuring the defendant Halil G. "Please submit a photograph of yourself with your arm visible to the file ’.
The hearing continued with identification. After the identification, the court asked D.D. whether the statements he gave during the trial were ‘true or not’ and how Halil G. was injured. D.D. stated that he recognised the defendant Halil G. at the scene of the incident and that he stayed in intensive care for 15 days after the attack:
"I was not myself when I gave my statement at the police station. I did not know that the other party was injured when I gave my statement. Everything I explained during the court process is all true. I don't know how he was injured. I was trying to save myself during the attack."
The defence lawyer stated that they did not accept the statements of D.D. Upon the question of the court why Halil G. did not attend the hearing, the lawyer claimed that the defendant was working as a construction operator at Libya Airport and was unaware of the hearing.
The lawyers were also asked for their statements regarding the Forensic Medicine reports submitted to the file. The lawyers of the defendant Halil G. and D.D. demanded that the deficiencies in the reports be eliminated.
It was decided that the defendant Halil G. would be present at the next hearing
At the end of the hearing, the prosecution requested the Forensic Medicine report on D.D. and the defendant Halil G. to be present at the next hearing.
The court decided that the defendant Halil G. should be present at the next hearing, an investigation should be made on whether he travelled abroad and if so, for what reason and where he travelled to work, and the Forensic Medicine report on D.D. should be prepared.
The hearing was adjourned to 21 February 2025.
At the exit of the hearing, the police took the followers out of the Regional Court of Appeals premises in order to prevent them from taking photographs.
Tags: human rights, women