23.03.2026 12:14
On the day of the holiday, a mother and her son were brutally assaulted after warning a group that was swearing at a café in the İzmit district of Kocaeli.
On the day of the holiday, a mother and her son were brutally assaulted after warning a group that was swearing at a café in the Izmit district of Kocaeli. 39-year-old Meryem Yıldırım, who was left unrecognizable after being subjected to kicks and punches, is receiving treatment for numerous fractures on her face, while the incident was captured on camera. Describing the horrifying moments, Yıldırım said, "A person cannot do this."
PERSONS IN CUSTODY The incident occurred on the first day of Ramadan Bayram at a café in Izmit. Meryem Yıldırım (39) and her son Talha Kaan İzal (21) went to the venue to spend time. According to reports, Yıldırım, seeing a person being assaulted in front of the café, called him inside to help. At that moment, the group that was assaulting the person also entered the café and started swearing. When Talha Kaan İzal warned the group, saying, "There are women here, don't swear," a scuffle broke out. The mother and son were assaulted by the enraged group. Meryem Yıldırım, who was severely injured by kicks to her face and body, was left in a pool of blood. The woman, who was taken to the hospital by an ambulance called by her son, was found to have numerous fractures on her face and a cracked rib. After the incident, the individuals involved were taken into custody.
THE ATTACK WAS CAPTURED ON CAMERA While happy moments captured in photos and videos before the attack on the day of the incident remain, the brutal assault was reflected in the cellphone cameras of nearby citizens. The recorded footage shows the suspects' angry behavior, the swearing and insults they hurled, and moments when one woman threw a glass.
"THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER IS MY FALL" Meryem Yıldırım, who is undergoing treatment in the hospital and faces the risk of permanent damage to her face, recounted the horrifying moments to İHA. Stating that they only reacted humanely to the situation, Yıldırım noted: "I told the assaulted waiter to 'come inside.' At that moment, my son was also next to me. The person who was hitting came after him. He swore. My son said, 'Don't swear, there are women.' He attacked my son. The owner of the venue, Mr. Uğur, kicked my son. I went outside, they started beating my son, and I couldn't stop. Mr. Kürşat kicked me in the face, Mr. Emrah kicked me all over my body. I currently have forty fractures on my face. It was crowded there. The only thing I remember is my fall and I can't forget the face of the person who kicked me in the face. I am also being threatened right now. My sister and son were called. They said they would come to the hospital in a different way and told us to withdraw the complaint. I will not withdraw my complaint. My son carried me in his arms, covered in blood, and I am in this condition."
"A PERSON CANNOT DO THIS" Pointing out that she has severe injuries to her face and ribs, Meryem Yıldırım said, "I have a crack in my rib, my face will not return to its old state, and there is a very high probability of permanent indentations forming. The surgery may also be postponed due to the risk of a blood clot in the brain. There may be indentations where I have fractures on my face. I ended up like this just because we said 'don't swear' when there was nothing going on, and I want them to receive the punishment they deserve. I also did not accept the monetary offer they made me. This is the first time I have experienced something like this in my life. A person cannot do this. They did this to me in front of my son, and I do not want them to be released without punishment. There was one woman among them, and the rest were men. The woman threw a glass at my face. I used to spend the first day of every holiday with my son. We went to my friend's place, had dinner, and then came to Rita. That place was also my friend's venue. If my friend hadn't thrown my son into those men, we wouldn't be here today," she expressed.
"I SAW MY MOTHER COVERED IN BLOOD" Talha Kaan İzal, who could not shake off the shock of the incident, recounted what happened:
"We just sat down at a place called Rita to enjoy ourselves. We were going to have some drinks and leave. At that moment, a huge fight broke out outside. My mother told someone who was being beaten outside to 'come inside.' When my mother intervened, I stood up to protect her. My mother was sitting at the door and had her back turned. I was standing by her head. They entered swearing at the boy. I warned them, saying, 'There are women, don't swear.' Before I finished my sentence, one of the individuals hit me in my left eye. I pushed back in self-defense, and their friends jumped on us. There was a woman named Sema; I saw them for the first time in my life. That woman threw a glass at us. After that, they threw me outside. The owner of the venue kicked me in the back, and I fell outside. They surrounded me and started kicking and punching. I couldn't see around me, and I thought my mother was inside. I never saw my back. I thought they wouldn't hit me because there was a woman. I wasn't raised that way; my mother raised me saying, 'You don't raise your hand to a woman.' I managed to escape from the crowd in self-defense. I went to the police. I took the police with me and wanted to return to my mother."
"THE AMBULANCE CAME, WE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL" The young man, unable to hold back his tears while describing the state he saw his mother in, said, "When I saw my mother covered in blood, I hugged her, and as we were going down the stairs, I slipped, and we fell together. After we fell, I couldn't carry her, and my limbs went limp. A guy picked up my mother, and I had a nervous breakdown at that moment. I cried, 'Mom, mom,' sobbing. That guy slapped me hard, I came to my senses, and I was by my mother's side. The ambulance came, and we went to the hospital," he expressed.
"EVERYONE WAS THROWING PUNCHES AND KICKS" Detailing the events during the attack and demanding the harshest punishment for the suspects, İzal said:
"There were three of them.
It was Kürşat who punched me. When I told him, 'There are women, don't curse,' he directly hit me in the face. I hit him back, and after that, Emrah started swinging punches at me. The one hitting my back was the owner of the place, Uğur. I don't know anyone. I just shut down when I was assaulted. Everyone was throwing punches and kicks. If I had fallen to the ground, it would probably have ended in death. I saved myself and went to the police. I hope justice will be served. I hope it doesn't go unpunished.