https://bianet.org/english/freedom-...aling-alleged-child-marriage-in-islamic-group
The revelation of an alleged marriage of the daughter of a prominent religious figure at the age of six led to a social media campaign against the journalist who first reported on the incident.
Timur Soykan, a columnist for the daily BirGün, reported on December 3 about an investigation launched after H.K.G., who is now 24 years old, filed a complaint alleging that she was forced to marry a 29-year-old man, K.İ., in 1998.
After H.K.G. turned 18, they officially got married. The couple, who had a child, later divorced.
H.K.G. is the daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, who heads the Hiranur Foundation affiliated with the İsmailağa sect, an Islamic community close to the government.
The investigation file includes statements of H.K.G., as well as her conversations with K.İ. that she had secretly recorded, and her photos with K.İ. when she was a child, according to Soykan’s article. In the conversations, H.K.G. accuses the man of abusing her when she was a child, which he refuses [sic].
H.K.G.’s brother and two sisters released a video yesterday (December 8), denying the allegations. They said they had grown up in the same house and were not aware of such a marriage. The family claims H.K.G. married K.İ. at the age of 17.
Later in the day, a social media campaign was launched against Soykan, with hashtags demanding his trial and arrest becoming trending topics on Twitter in Türkiye….
The revelation of an alleged marriage of the daughter of a prominent religious figure at the age of six led to a social media campaign against the journalist who first reported on the incident.
Timur Soykan, a columnist for the daily BirGün, reported on December 3 about an investigation launched after H.K.G., who is now 24 years old, filed a complaint alleging that she was forced to marry a 29-year-old man, K.İ., in 1998.
After H.K.G. turned 18, they officially got married. The couple, who had a child, later divorced.
H.K.G. is the daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, who heads the Hiranur Foundation affiliated with the İsmailağa sect, an Islamic community close to the government.
The investigation file includes statements of H.K.G., as well as her conversations with K.İ. that she had secretly recorded, and her photos with K.İ. when she was a child, according to Soykan’s article. In the conversations, H.K.G. accuses the man of abusing her when she was a child, which he refuses [sic].
H.K.G.’s brother and two sisters released a video yesterday (December 8), denying the allegations. They said they had grown up in the same house and were not aware of such a marriage. The family claims H.K.G. married K.İ. at the age of 17.
Later in the day, a social media campaign was launched against Soykan, with hashtags demanding his trial and arrest becoming trending topics on Twitter in Türkiye….
