Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
A man who harassed three women on the İstanbul metro has been arrested and sent to Metris Prison, though police records classified the offense as a violation of privacy rather than harassment.
According to official statements, the incident occurred in at around 9.45 am on Aug 12 on the Mecidiyeköy metro line. Journalist Özge Kar-Odabaş was traveling with two female friends when they were verbally harassed by a man identified as Durmuş K.
He reportedly directed insults at one of the women, saying, “you’re not bearable,” followed by gendered slurs. When one of the women told him to move, he continued his verbal abuse.
Despite reactions from Odabaş from passengers, the man threatened the women, saying, “I have connections, I have people around me.”
bianet is Monitoring Male Violence
13 December 2024
Witnesses reported that while holding his phone, he first watched a video featuring women and children, then began secretly filming passengers. One of the women noticed through the reflection on the metro window that he was recording and alerted Kar-Odabaş. She said the color of her skirt was the same she saw on the screen.
When confronted, Durmuş K. initially denied filming but panicked after being caught, insisting he had not recorded anything. He then smashed his phone in an attempt to destroy evidence. The women reported the incident to metro security, who called the police. Both the suspect and the women were taken to Şişli Police Station.
The three women filed complaints. Their lawyers demanded his pretrial detention, confiscation of the phone, and submission of metro security camera footage to the case file. Prosecutors requested his arrest, and he was taken before the 11th Penal Court of Peace. He was jailed on charges of “violating privacy” and “insult.”
‘I told them I was harassed’
Speaking to bianet, Kar-Odabaş noted that the case file did not include harassment charges. She said: “The man who hurled obscene insults at the woman next to me and secretly recorded images of women tried to destroy evidence by smashing his phone. We acted calmly to secure both the phone and the suspect for the police.
“In an environment where men stayed silent, women’s collective reaction once again showed the strength of solidarity. If we had not insisted, the broken phone could have been left out of the investigation.”
“Maybe that phone contained not only photos from the metro but also evidence of other harassment cases. This process proved that women are not alone, that they must pursue their rights, and that standing firm against harassment can yield results.
Woman alleges sexual harassment by police during İstanbul protest detention
28 March 2025
“Moreover, handling harassment cases under the Bureau for the Protection of the Family and Crimes Against Women reinforces the view of women as ‘property’ tied to family relations. Crimes against women must be addressed through individual rights and freedoms, not family ties.”
Attorney Kıvılcım Ünal from the İstanbul Bar Association’s Women’s Rights Center also spoke to bianet. She said, “In this case, no statement was taken on sexual harassment. The filming of women was treated only as a violation of privacy. It is clear that sexual harassment also occurred, and the suspect should have been arrested on that charge as well.” (EMK/VK)