Court of Cassation overturns life sentence in Kocaeli infanticide case

The Turkish Court of Cassation has overturned the life imprisonment sentence of Merve T., a woman convicted of killing her newborn baby in Kocaeli in January 2021. The infant died after being stabbed nine times following a home birth.

During the initial trial, Merve T. claimed she was unaware of her pregnancy and that she could not remember the events following the birth, suggesting she acted without consciousness. Her defense attorneys argued that she suffered from epilepsy and had temporarily lost her ability to distinguish the legal meaning and consequences of her actions.

The Court of Cassation sent the case back to the local court, ruling that an investigation must be conducted regarding whether the defendant possessed the capacity to perceive the legal meaning of her actions or guide her behavior at the time of the incident, in accordance with Article 34 of the Turkish Penal Code.