Shocking decision from the mother of Arzu, who was killed with 146 scissor blows: I do not file a complaint

15.05.2026 12:41

Salican Mehmet, an Azerbaijani national who killed Arzu Khalılova, a Russian citizen and mother of his two children with whom he lived in a religious marriage in Bursa, with 146 stab wounds, stated in the trial where he faces an aggravated life sentence request that he has psychological issues and wants to undergo treatment. The victim's mother dropped her complaint. The court decided to place the defendant under observation.

The trial of Azerbaijani national Salican Mehmet (28), who killed Arzu Khalılova (20), with whom he was living in a religious marriage in Bursa, by stabbing her 146 times with scissors—72 of which were individually fatal—has begun on charges of aggravated life imprisonment. In his defense, the detained defendant Mehmet stated that he received hospital treatment for 21 days before the incident and said, "I want to receive treatment. I was previously hospitalized at Bursa Dörtçelik Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital for about 21 days. Then they discharged me. I am still taking medication."

The incident occurred on November 3, 2025, at around 15:00 in a house on 2nd Birol Street, Değirmenlikızık Neighborhood, Yıldırım district. A quarrel between Arzu Khalılova and Salican Mehmet, with whom she was living in a religious marriage, turned into a fight. During the fight, Salican Mehmet attacked Khalılova with scissors. Salican Mehmet's mother, F.M., who lived downstairs and heard the noises, went upstairs and upon seeing Arzu Khalılova lying in blood, reported the situation to her husband, İ.M. Following İ.M.'s report, police and medical teams were dispatched to the address. Salican Mehmet was apprehended with scissors in his hand, while Khalılova, severely injured, was taken by ambulance to Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, where she died. The autopsy revealed a total of 146 scissor entry wounds on different parts of Khalılova's body, 72 of which were individually fatal. The body was buried after the procedures.

"WE DIDN'T HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH MY WIFE"

As an investigation was launched into the incident, it was learned that the couple had two daughters aged 4 and 1. In his statement to the police, Salican Mehmet said he had been living with Arzu Khalılova in a religious marriage for 4 years, stated that he had psychological problems and was receiving treatment, saying, "In the last few months, I started having psychological troubles. Because of this, about 2 months ago, I was admitted to Bursa Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital for inpatient treatment. I received treatment there for about 21 days and was discharged. Upon discharge, I was given medication to take 3 times a day. I used these medications for a while. During this time, my wife and I had fights and hit each other, but we didn't complain about each other. When I argued with my wife, sometimes I blacked out and couldn't know what I was doing, I would suddenly flare up. But we didn't have a serious problem with my wife," he said.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I ATTACKED WITH THE SCISSORS"

In his statement, Mehmet said that the day before the incident, he and his wife argued over their little daughter's crying and hit each other, and recounted: "On the day of the incident, my older daughter went to her grandmother's. Our baby was at home. My wife was gathering laundry. She told me, 'Watch the child.' I said 'I am watching.' When she kept saying 'Watch the child,' I got angry because we were also in a fight from the day before. At that moment, I blacked out again. Then I went to the child's room. I looked after the child and took the scissors that were there. Then I came to the living room. I immediately started attacking my wife with the scissors. I attacked many times with the scissors, but I don't know how many. As a result, my wife collapsed to the floor."

HIS CRIMINAL RECORD APPEARS EXTENSIVE

After police procedures, Salican Mehmet was arrested by the court to which he was referred. It was revealed that he had 8 records for offenses including 'Intentional wounding', 'Possession of drugs for use', 'Violation of the firearms law', and that he had also been processed for 'Sexual relations with a minor' regarding his act against Arzu Khalılova, whom he killed.

"I HEAR HER VOICE IN MY EARS"

The trial of Salican Mehmet, against whom a lawsuit was filed seeking aggravated life imprisonment for 'Intentional killing against a woman,' began at the Bursa 19th Heavy Penal Court. The detained defendant, Arzu Khalılova's mother Zülfiye Halil, and the party lawyers attended the hearing. The defendant's mother F.M. and father İ.M. were also present as witnesses. In his defense, Mehmet stated that he had received treatment for 21 days at Bursa Dörtçelik Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital before the incident and had psychological problems, saying, "I still hear my wife's voice in my ears. She comes to me in prison and talks to me. I had already received treatment before. I still hear the same things in my ears. I want to receive treatment. I was previously hospitalized at Bursa Dörtçelik Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital for about 21 days. Then they discharged me. I am still taking medication. Whoever I think of, I hear their voice in my ear."

"SHE CAME TO ME WITH THE SCISSORS"

In the hearing, Mehmet, contrary to his police statement, claimed that the victim came to him with scissors in her hand, saying, "Arzu was saying things like 'You're not a man', 'You can't be a father', 'What kind of father are you?' I ignored it and went to the living room. She came to me with the scissors. I took the scissors from her hand in self-defense. I don't remember what happened after that. I came to when I heard the door. My mother had come. After I opened the door for my mother, I saw Arzu on the floor. I immediately called an ambulance. The police came and took me."

HE DID NOT ACCEPT HIS POLICE STATEMENT

When the court president reminded the detained defendant Mehmet that his police statement was different, he said, "I do not accept my previous statements. I don't know what statement I gave due to the shock of the incident. My statement given here in the courtroom is correct."

"INVESTIGATE WHETHER MY CLIENT HAS CRIMINAL CAPACITY"

The defendant's lawyer also objected to the report obtained from the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute, saying, "The report from the Forensic Medicine Institute given at Bursa City Hospital indicates that my client's mental faculties are not intact, that he should be placed under guardianship, and that due to the medications he uses, he already has psychological disorders. I request that he be placed under observation. My client had previously been hospitalized for 21 days at Dörtçelik Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital. No diagnosis was made; only treatment was applied. The treatment applied may be experimental. Because of the treatment applied, my client may have committed this act today. We request that my client be sent to a Specialized Department to resolve the contradictions within the file, and since he received treatment in a mental hospital, at least to determine whether his current mental health is intact, and if not, what the diagnosis is, and to investigate whether he has criminal capacity," he said.

"THEY ARE ADMINISTERING SCHIZOPHRENIA INJECTIONS IN PRISON"

The defendant's lawyer, stating that his client could be aggressive due to his psychological disorder, said, "During our first meeting with my client in prison, the prison guards warned me about him. Regarding previous records and the current situation, there are reports and documents indicating that my client suffers from cancer and diabetes. The prison guards reported that my client is in the process of receiving schizophrenia treatment and that they are administering schizophrenia injections. Given that my client's mental state is not stable, we request that he be sent to an observation center and that criminal capacity be investigated."

VICTIM'S MOTHER: I AM NOT A COMPLAINANT

Arzu Khalılova's mother, Zülfiye Halil, who attended the hearing, stated that she withdrew her complaint and said, \"I was in Russia when the incident happened. I came immediately upon hearing about it. I learned how it happened from the neighbors. I am not a complainant. I have withdrawn my complaint. For the sake of my grandchildren and justice, I entrust it to Allah.\"

DEFENDANT'S MOTHER CRIED IN COURT: HE WAS MY CHILD TOO

The detained defendant's mother, F. M., who was heard as a witness, said, \"My son was taking his medications. When he started talking to himself, we became very scared. My son would suddenly say, 'Mom, you are cursing me, mom, you are swearing at me.' He would raise his voice to me, his daughter, and his wife, who is also my child. Even though I am his mother, I was also afraid. Because of this, I tried not to leave them alone. On the day of the incident, I went down to my apartment to take a shower. After my shower, while I was at the bathroom door, I heard screaming. By the time I got dressed and came out, everything else was clear. I also grieve for my daughter-in-law. She was my child,\" she said, crying.

\"I WANT MY CHILD TO BE TREATED\"

Father İ. M. said the following at the hearing: \"I know my child is not healthy. We hospitalized him. He was discharged after 21 days. After we felt he had completely changed, I applied to the hospital again. They said I needed to be his guardian. But we were too late. He started displaying different attitudes and behaviors. He changed a lot recently. He would close the curtains, talk to himself. He often said, 'I hear voices in my ears.' I went to the police station and filed a report. I said, 'My child's mental health is not right, please help.' They said he needed to be hospitalized. There are records at the police station and hospital. To prevent him from harming his wife and children, I took my daughter-in-law and grandchildren to the Immigration Administration. Let his wife and children leave here. Apparently, the process to become a guardian requires one month. During this time, I thought to keep him from harming his wife, children, and mother. The Immigration Administration also didn't accept it. They said they couldn't send them immediately. We applied to consulates in Istanbul. I asked for help there, but unfortunately, I think I was too late. He would close the windows and draw the curtains. He would say, 'Someone is watching.' I warned him many times to come to his senses. The deceased was very scared. I want my child to be treated. So he doesn't harm anyone else.\" 

The court panel decided to initiate the process of obtaining a specialist physician's recommendation for the defendant to be placed under observation and to continue his detention.