The third hearing of the case in which Murat Karataş is tried for murdering Italian artist Giuseppina Pasqualina Di Marineo (known as Pippa Bacca) after he got her into his car in Gebze, Kocaeli, near Istanbul is held today (December 16).

The 1st High Criminal Court of Kocaeli postponed the trial to January 20, 2009 in order to complete the statement of the last witness.

In the hearing that was observed by twenty women, the court rejected the demand by the women's organizations Purple Roof and Women Laborers Association (EKD) to join the case on the side of the victim on the grounds that they were not similarly injured by the incident. However, the court reached the opposite conclusion and refused their demand.

“All the women would be injured by the crime committed against Bacca”

Funda Ekin, one of the lawyers who joined the case, conveyed bianet his impressions of the hearing:

“As women, we demand to join all the cases in which women were murdered. But since the judiciary interprets the matter of injury from the crime committed to someone else very narrowly, we are usually kept outside. We are trying to become an exception. It is important to monitor all the cases in order both to make sure the prosecution moves fairly and to create a difference.”

Whereas the Izmir Women’s Platform made its press release before the hearing, the EKS and the women who were observing the case together held their press release after the hearing.

The women said that they were going to continue monitor both Bacca’s case and the cases of the other women who were slain. They also condemned the Beyoğlu district governorship’s decision to cut the financial source of the Purple House.

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/TK/TB)