The first hearing of the case regarding the murder of Italian artist Giuseppina Pasqualina Di Marineo (known as Pippa Bacca)  by Murat Karataş was held at Kocaeli’s 1st High Criminal Court today.

Prosecutor is asking for life sentence with no possibility of parole, but the trial was postponed to November 4, since there was no joint lawyer in the hearing.

Elena Manzoni, the mother of the slain İtalian artist, who was in Turkey for the trial, said that she had no prejudices against Turkey because of what had happened.

“It is not Turkish people’s fault. On the contrary, the Turkish people did everything possible to help solve the case and correct the situation. We had already announced our gratitude to the Turkish people. These kinds of incidents can happen anywhere.”

“I hope the justice will be done. We were a very compatible family of six individuals. My daughter was the youngest of the family. I miss her very much. I believe I will experience this feeling even more on December 9, on her birthday.”

Planning to take part in the opening ceremony of the Pippa Bacca statue in Gebze, the place where she was killed, Manzoni will stay in Turkey this week.  

EKD is following the case

Çiçek Odlu, who was at the hearing on behalf Women Workers Association (EKD), said the following to Bianet after the hearing.

“The date of the next hearing, November 4, is close to the International Day of Saying No To Violence Against Women on November 25. We have a lot to do. We believe that the violent act of rape, the sexual violence, does not get the attention it deserves. We will follow the Pippa Bacca case. Perhaps this way the silence surrounding this issue will go away.”

Odlu also thinks that perhaps the media should be put on trial. She believes that the media monitoring groups formed by women do help in this area and they should be improved on more.

33 year old Italian artist Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, known as Pippa Bacca, had gone missing on March 31.

On March 8, 2007, Marineo had left Milano with her artist friend Silvia Moro for “peace”. Leaving Milano with wedding gowns on them, the two artists were planning to reach Tel-Aviv by hitchhiking through the Balkan countries and Turkey. (EZÖ/EÜ/TB)