In Istanbul, the killing of a stray cat has resulted in several protests, petitions, and death threats, forcing the president, Erdogan, to interfere in the matter and the courts to punish the criminal. On the 1st of January, Ibrahim K. was seen on a CCTV camera in the building’s lobby. He was caught killing a stray cat, Eros, who is fed daily by his neighbors.
In early February, the criminal was sentenced to jail for around 18 months, but later, he was released due to his good behavior. This news made animal welfare groups and a sector of the public very angry in Turkey, whose huge stray cat population is regularly fed and protected.
Key Takeaways of Man Convicted of Cat Killing Faces two years Jail Term in Turkey
- On the 1st of January, Ibrahim K. was seen on a CCTV camera killing a stray cat.
- In early February, the criminal was sentenced to jail for around 18 months.
- He was released due to his good behavior which made animal welfare groups and a sector of the public very angry.
- Around 320,000 individuals directed an online petition asking for an increased sentence.
- The court judges increased the sentence of the criminal by 1 year.
- Many celebrities have also joined the protest for Eros justice, like Mauro Icardi.
Around 320,000 individuals directed an online petition asking for more sentences. In late February, the justice ministry said that Ibrahim would be retried after it received a nighttime call from Recep Tayyip Erdogan (the president), who said he was personally interested in this specific case.
On Wednesday, Ibrahim K. was retried in a court building where thousands of persons crowded the corridors, and the environment was stressed. The court judges increased the sentence of the criminal by one year but didn’t order him to be imprisoned, disregarding the demands of internet trolls and animal welfare groups who have sent death threats to him.
Furthermore, one animal rights group demands that Ibrahim K. be imprisoned for almost four years, as permitted by law. On Thursday, the hashtag #ErosicinAdalet (#JusticeforEros) became viral on X, particularly on Twitter, in the country, and various big newspapers, including Hurriyet, published images of the dead stray cat on the front pages.
Many celebrities have joined the protest for Eros justice, like Mauro Icardi, an Argentinian footballer, the ruling Turkish champions Galatasaray and star striker at Istanbul giants.
