A Turkish man, Hakan Aysal, who was serving a life sentence for the 2018 murder of his pregnant wife, Semra Aysal, has been released from prison after six years. The release comes as Turkey's Supreme Court's Criminal General Assembly reviews an appeal on his conviction.
Aysal, 45, was found guilty of pushing his 32-year-old wife, who was seven months pregnant, off a 1,000-foot cliff in the Butterfly Valley near Muğla. Prosecutors alleged that Aysal had taken out a $25,000 accident insurance policy on his wife, naming himself as the sole beneficiary, and collected the funds shortly after her death.
A witness who recorded the incident told police that Aysal appeared unusually calm after his wife's fall. Aysal, however, has maintained his innocence, claiming he did not push his wife and that she disappeared after he briefly turned away.
His conviction came in October 2022. Aysal’s lawyers and the Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor's office argued that there was insufficient evidence for the conviction.
The release has drawn criticism from women's rights groups, who expressed concern over the legal proceedings and the potential for impunity in femicide cases. The women's wing of the New Party issued a statement questioning how accountability would be provided for the deaths of Semra Aysal and her unborn child.