28.06.2025 10:40
In the trial of Kayhan Barbak, who killed his mother Zehra Barbak in Karabağlar, İzmir, the couple's child, M.A.B., who was 8 years old at the time, was heard as a witness. The child stated that he saw his mother being choked and stabbed, explaining that the incident took place in his own room and that he ran to the living room out of fear.
In the Karabağlar district of İzmir, the couple's 8-year-old child was heard in the trial of Kayhan Barbak (39), who killed his wife Zehra Barbak (37). M.A.B said, "I woke up to my mother's screaming. He was choking my mother. Then he stabbed my mother's leg with a knife. I went to the living room out of fear. I was shaking. My mother's eye was also bruised. While I was watching cartoons in the living room, my aunts and the police came. The police took my father away. Everything happened in my room."
The incident occurred on December 25, 2023, around 5:00 AM in a detached house on 9057 Street in the Vatan neighborhood. A dispute broke out between Kayhan Barbak, who had been drinking with a friend and was returning home, and his wife Zehra Barbak. As the argument escalated, Kayhan Barbak stabbed Zehra Barbak three times with a knife he took from the kitchen. Covered in blood, Zehra Barbak went outside to ask for help and said she had been stabbed by her husband. Upon the notification of the neighbors, health and police teams were dispatched to the address. The health team determined that Zehra Barbak had lost her life. Police teams caught Kayhan Barbak with the murder weapon, the knife. In his statement, Kayhan Barbak said he committed the murder out of 'jealousy' and was arrested after his procedures at the police station.
HE SAID "I DON'T REMEMBER" IN HIS STATEMENT
In his statement at the prosecutor's office, Kayhan Barbak said that they had argued, that he took the knife because he was very drunk, but he did not remember stabbing his wife. He also recalled looking at his wife from the balcony, thinking he went there because of the proximity of his uncle's house, and that he remembered trying to put his child, who woke up from their argument, to sleep. Kayhan Barbak was charged with 'intentional murder of his wife' and faced a life sentence.
THE TRIAL OF THE DEFENDANT CONTINUED
The trial of Kayhan Barbak continued today at the İzmir 22nd High Criminal Court. The detained defendant Barbak, along with the lawyers of both parties, the mother of the murdered Zehra Barbak, Naime Özkan, and members of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform were present in the courtroom. During the hearing, the couple's joint child M.A.B. (10) was heard as a witness via SEGBİS with the assistance of a specialist pedagogue. M.A.B., who said he was at home with his parents on the day of the incident, stated, "I woke up to my mother's screaming. He was choking my mother. Then he stabbed my mother's leg with a knife. I went to the living room out of fear. I was shaking. My mother's eye was also bruised. While I was watching cartoons in the living room, my aunts and the police came. The police took my father away. I saw the moment he stabbed my mother. Everything happened in my room. My mother was injured when she left my room. Blood was also coming from her nose. Her eye was bruised. There was a knife in the bathroom that he used to stab my mother. They used to fight every evening at home. He was constantly checking my mother's phone. They were arguing about that. Before the incident, he also slapped me," he said.
"I WISH I HAD DIED AND MY WIFE HAD LIVED"
In his defense regarding the witness statements, the defendant Kayhan Barbak said, "The child has been coached. I never hit my son or my wife. It was an accident. I didn't do it on purpose. I wish I had died and my wife had lived."
After the statements, an interim decision was announced. The panel decided to continue the defendant's detention, ruled to rectify the deficiencies in the case file, and adjourned the trial to November 7.