A
bus assistant accused of masturbating on a female passenger while she
was sleeping on an intercity vehicle en route to Istanbul (Read here) has reportedly
confessed the assault, while the bus company, Metro Turizm, has issued a
public apology for the incident.
“I was tempted and I did
it,” the bus assistant, identified only by the initials G.G., reportedly
told company officials after the latter warned him that the forensic
medicine report would reveal the truth. The confession prompted
Metro Turizm board members to admit the incident, which caused huge
public outrage in Turkey, and apologize to both the public and the
passenger, identified only by the initials C.D.
“At first, we didn’t
think it was possible. It sounded surreal because you cannot imagine
something like this happening in a bus full of people,” board member
Mustafa Yıldırım told Hürriyet, describing the attack as a “sick
incident.”
As soon as reports of the assault surfaced on May 25,
Metro Turizm chairperson Çiğdem Öztürk spoke to Turkish news portal Oda
TV and said it was unacceptable for her, “as a woman executive,” to
accept such an incident.
“Believe me, we are not on the same
side with this immoral person,” Öztürk said, adding that the firm would
adopt all legal means available to ensure the assailant is heavily
punished.
The company also posted an apology on its website,
stressing that the issue was being carefully monitored and ensuring that
all necessary measures will be taken to avoid a repetition of the
assault.
“We have severed our relationship with the employee in
question and the matter has been referred to legal authorities for a
thorough investigation,” the company stated.
However, the
honorary chairperson and founder of Metro Holding, Galip Öztürk, made
contradictory statements on his Twitter account late on May 25, accusing
the “parallel structure” of trying to “take on Metro.” The “parallel
structure” is a term used by Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) to refer to followers of U.S.-based Islamic scholar
Fethullah Gülen, who they accuse of attempting to overthrow the
government.
“Parallel scum. We know you are traitors and you are
trying to take on [Metro Turizm] for the salvation of [the Gülen
movement]. I wouldn’t expect anything else from you,” Öztürk said in a
tweet, sharing videos and urging his followers to watch them in order to
learn about the “parallel plot he had been going through.”
Meanwhile,
protesters from the We Will Stop Femicides Platform gathered in front
of Metro Turizm’s offices in the northwestern province of Eskişehir,
demanding that those responsible for the assault be tried.
“The
bus assistant was released after he testified. Us, women, are asking
here, will we not be able to travel on a bus anymore?” a member of the
platform, Özge Uyanık, asked during the protest.
The incident in
question happened early on May 24 when G.G. allegedly started
masturbating near C.D. while she was asleep during a bus journey from
the Aegean province of Muğla.
According to the statements of
C.D.’s boyfriend, identified only as Kerem G., she awoke upon hearing
noises and saw the suspect masturbating in front of her, just before he
ejaculated.
“She was sleeping at the time of the incident. The
seat next to her was empty, but there were people sitting in front and
behind her. Half of the bus was full,” said Kerem G., adding that C.D.
screamed after realizing what happened.
“The sperm hit her and
the seat she was sitting on. A female lawyer who was on the same bus
then helped my friend and they notified the gendarmerie [at the next bus
stop],” he added.
The gendarmerie team reportedly investigated the incident and then detained the suspect.