Rape case to begin amid legal concerns
ISTANBUL
A
Sakarya court is set to host the first hearing of a case in which 34 men are
accused of sexually abusing and raping a 14-year-old girl, daily Radikal has
reported.
A
total 34 men were arrested over the incident, however 14 of them have been
released pending trial. Two of those released are police officers,
one of whom has fled abroad.
Harika
Güney Karakaş, the lawyer of the girl, is concerned that defendants in the
case will claim that the girl consented to the intercourse. Karakaş gives
the example of a previous case, in which the court agreed that a
13-year-old girl consented to having sex with 26 men.
"But
the law is so clear," Karakaş said. "No consent is sought under the
age of 15."
The
girl has been under government protection and has been recieving
psychological treatment since the incident was revealed three months ago.
A
court desicion caused an uproar last year when the sentences for 26 men
convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl were reduced, after it was claimed
that the girl had consented to having sex with the men.
A
Sakarya court is set to host the first hearing of a case in which 34 men are
accused of sexually abusing and raping a 14-year-old girl, daily Radikal has
reported.
