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Turkish man sentenced to life for pushing pregnant wife off cliff freed after 6 years

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Hakan Aysal walked out of a high-security prison while Turkey's Supreme Court's Criminal General Assembly continues to assess an appeal against his October 2022 conviction. Prosecutors had initially argued that the defendant murdered his seven-month-pregnant wife, Semra, at Butterfly Valley to fraudulently claim a $25,000 accident insurance policy. Aysal has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that his wife vanished while his back was turned. Meanwhile, a bystander reported to authorities that Aysal appeared remarkably calm directly following the fatal plunge.

Key points

  • Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Ömer Taş endorsed the appeal by citing insufficient convin…: Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Ömer Taş endorsed the appeal by citing insufficient convincing evidence to maintain the life sentence.
  • The New Party's women's wing and legal advocates strongly criticized the judicial move as…: The New Party's women's wing and legal advocates strongly criticized the judicial move as an act of femicide impunity.
  • The case remains under formal review by Turkey's Supreme Court's Criminal General Assembl…: The case remains under formal review by Turkey's Supreme Court's Criminal General Assembly to determine a final verdict.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A Turkish man sentenced to life imprisonment for pushing his seven-month-pregnant wife off a 1,000-foot cliff in an alleged insurance payout plot has been released from prison after serving six years, triggering outrage among women's rights groups.

According to the New York Post, Hakan Aysal, 45, was freed from a high-security prison while Turkey's Supreme Court's Criminal General Assembly reviews an appeal against his life sentence. He was convicted in October 2022 for the 2018 death of his wife, Semra Aysal, 32.

The incident took place at the popular Butterfly Valley tourist destination near Muğla in southwestern Turkey. Prosecutors alleged that Hakan pushed his pregnant wife off the cliff after the couple took selfies together at the scenic location.

Prosecutors argued that Aysal had taken out an accident insurance policy worth $25,000 in his wife's name, listing himself as the sole beneficiary. They alleged that he collected the money following her death.

Aysal has maintained his innocence, claiming that he did not push his wife and that she disappeared after he turned his back on her. His lawyers and Supreme…

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