Turkish Court of Cassation upholds sentences in Erzurum murder case

Turkey’s Court of Cassation (Yargıtay) confirmed the prison terms for two defendants in the June 11 murder of 49‑year‑old Ayhan Avci in Erzurum’s Aziziye district. Padina Avci, a 35‑year‑old Georgian woman, received a 17‑year sentence, while 57‑year‑old Fahrullah Özdemir was sentenced to 15 years. Both sentences were reduced from life imprisonment after the court applied an unfair‑provocation discount. The victim was found with head and neck injuries in a barn; Padina claimed she had been forced into prostitution for 1,500 TL, and Özdemir said the victim had attacked him with a knife. Appeals by both defendants were rejected.