29.04.2026 19:34
The decision in the case where Mustafa Bangiz was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for beating his 27-year-old girlfriend Esra Asena Temir to death in Mersin has been overturned by the Court of Cassation.
The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation found unlawful the aggravated life imprisonment sentence given to the defendant on trial for the death of 27-year-old Esra Asena Temir, who was beaten and left at a hospital in Mersin, on charges of "intentional killing against a woman."
BRUTALLY KILLED ASENA
The incident occurred on June 29, 2023. Construction company owner Mustafa Bangiz came to his home in the Toroslar district and went out for a drive with his girlfriend Esra Asena Temir, whom he had been with for a year. An argument broke out in the car between Bangiz and Temir for an unknown reason. Mustafa Bangiz (28) beat Esra Asena Temir. Temir, who sustained blows to her head and various parts of her body, was taken to Toros State Hospital.
Temir, who suffered a brain hemorrhage, could not be saved. Bangiz, who fled after the incident, was taken into custody. After police procedures, Mustafa Bangiz was referred to the courthouse and arrested. The body of Esra Asena Temir, retrieved from the morgue after autopsy procedures, was laid to rest at Akbelen City Cemetery.
LEFT BY THE ROADSIDE INSTEAD OF A HOSPITAL
A lawsuit was filed against Mustafa Bangiz seeking an aggravated life imprisonment sentence for the crime of "intentional killing against a woman." The indictment stated that Temir died as a result of a brain hemorrhage due to the severe blows she received. It was noted that Mustafa Bangiz, instead of taking Esra Asena Temir to the hospital, left her by the roadside, contacted her family members, and she was taken to the hospital by them.
COURT OF CASSATION OVERTURNED THE SENTENCE
Bangiz, who appeared before the judge at the Mersin 1st Heavy Penal Court, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of "intentional killing against a woman." The lawyers of Mustafa Bangiz, whose detention was ordered to continue, appealed to the higher court.
After the Adana Regional Court of Appeals rejected the appeal, the lawyers then brought the case to the Court of Cassation. The 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation overturned the decision, ordering Bangiz's retrial. The reversal decision stated: "According to the case file, it is understood that the victim and the defendant were lovers and had no serious enmity necessitating killing; during a sudden quarrel that started for an undetermined reason on the date of the incident, the defendant injured the victim by beating her bodily, particularly on the head and various parts of her body; as a result of the injury, the victim died due to brain hemorrhage and developing complications, with no fractures or cracks found in the skull dome and base bones; in this incident, there is no definitive evidence that the defendant's intent and will was to kill, as also revealed by the injury sites on the victim; therefore, it must be accepted that his intent related to the act was directed at injury, and the defendant should be punished for the crime of causing death as a result of intentional injury under Article 87/4, first sentence of Law No. 5237, with the base penalty determined from the upper limit, instead of being sentenced for qualified intentional killing as a result of an erroneous evaluation of the nature of the crime; this has been found unlawful."
Following the Court of Cassation's reversal decision, Mustafa Bangiz will appear before the judge again on May 6.
"WE WILL FOLLOW THIS CASE UNTIL THE END"
Esra Asena Temir's mother, Asiye Temir, and Lawyer Serdan Söylemez reacted to the decision. Noting that Asena died from being struck multiple times on the head, Söylemez said, "This decision is not just a file; it is a message. It suggests that even if you severely beat someone, there may be no intent to kill. We cannot remain silent about this. Because this is not just Esra's file; it is our sense of security, our faith in justice. We are here for the safety and belief in justice of all our daughters. The family is here, Esra is not. We are not asking for something huge. We only want the truth to be seen, the value of this life to be protected, and justice to be served for Esra. Not just for Esra, but for all our daughters, all our children, we want justice. We say it openly today. Esra will not be forgotten, this file will not be closed, this struggle will not end. We will follow this case until the end for Esra, for her family, and for everyone who believes in justice."
"LET NO OTHER MOTHERS SUFFER, LET JUSTICE PREVAIL"
Mother Asiye Temir stated, "I was somewhat relieved by the court decision given in Mersin; it sprinkled water on my heart. But with the Court of Cassation's reversal, my pain for my child increased a thousandfold. My daughter is gone, and many other girls are gone. It's a shame for these children. I trust in justice. Let them not release such murderers. I trust in justice, our prosecutors, our judges. Let them make decisions considering mothers like me. Let there be no more mothers suffering the pain of losing a child. I am a grieving mother. I have been burning and withering in Esra's fire for 3 years. This is a fire that will never die down. Let no other mothers burn, let justice prevail."