24/02/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
The second hearing of the case regarding the sentencing of Derya Dağyolu, a disabled trans woman who was attacked by a man named Halil G. and remained in intensive care for days, for injury was held on 21 February.
The final hearing of the case against Halil G., who attacked and injured trans woman sex worker Derya Dağyolu 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’.
Derya Dağyolu, who was stabbed by Halil G. and was in danger of death, was sentenced to 11 months and 7 days of imprisonment for intentional injury without applying the provisions on self-defence and the sentence was postponed.
Derya Dağyolu's lawyers appealed the first instance court's decision.
The court ruled that the defendant Halil G. should be present at the hearing on 21 February
The first appeal hearing of the case was held on 10 January at the 1st Criminal Chamber of Ankara Regional Court of Appeals. Derya Dağyolu attended the hearing, while the defendant Halil G. was absent.
At the end of the hearing, the prosecution requested the Forensic Medicine report on Derya Dağyolu and the defendant Halil G. to be present at the next hearing.
The court decided that the defendant Halil G. to be present at the next hearing, to investigate whether he travelled abroad and if so, for what reason and where he travelled to work, to prepare the Forensic Medicine report on Derya Dağyolu and adjourned the trial.
Defendant Halil G. did not come to the hearing again
The second appeal hearing of the Derya Dağyolu case was held on 21 February.
The court adjourned the hearing once again because the forensic report was not prepared and the defendant Halil G. did not attend the hearing. The next hearing will be held on 25 April at 09.00 at Ankara Regional Court of Justice, 1st Criminal Chamber.
What happened?
In his article titled "Two trials, justice in a camera ’, Yıldız Tar reported the following in the indictment
"According to the indictment, Halil G. met Derya Dağyolu, who was waiting for a customer on the street. They visited a few places. Then he insisted on going to Derya Dağyolu's house. They went to her house. Here he asked her if there was a camera in the house. When he heard that there was no camera, he took a knife out of his pocket and started to stab Derya Dağyolu. Derya Dağyolu was seriously injured in her chest and abdomen.
According to Halil G.'s claim, Derya Dağyolu also stabbed himself. He attacked Halil G. with a knife in his right hand. However, Derya Dağyolu is 80 per cent disabled in her right hand. Let alone using a knife, he cannot even do daily chores with his right hand.
Derya Dağyolu insists that she did not stab Halil G. She says that she defended herself when she was attacked, that she was able to save herself by biting Halil G.'s hand holding the knife, that Halil G. fell down by stepping on the blood on the floor, and that he may have been injured in his arm.
Halil G. left the house on foot after the attack, while Derya Dağyolu was hospitalised for a week. The forensic medical report revealed that the attack was of such a nature that Derya Dağyolu's life was in danger. Derya Dağyolu had to undergo multiple surgeries."
During the trial, the prosecutor presented his final opinion on the merits to the file. In his final opinion, the prosecutor wanted the defendant Halil G. to be sentenced for attempted intentional homicide and opposition to the ‘Law on Firearms, Knives and Other Instruments’, but did not take into account the 80 per cent disability of Derya Dağyolu's right hand and wanted Derya Dağyolu to be sentenced for ‘attempted intentional homicide’.
In addition, Ankara Bar Association LGBTIQ+ Rights Centre and Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association's requests to participate in the trial were rejected in the first hearings of the case.
Tags: human rights, women
