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Turkish husband, who pushed pregnant wife off cliff, released from prison 6 years into life sentence
New York Post • • world
Key Points:
- Hakan Aysal, convicted in 2022 for pushing his pregnant wife off a 1,000-foot cliff for life insurance money, was released after six years as Turkey’s Supreme Court reviews his lifetime sentence.
- Aysal was serving an aggravated life sentence for the 2018 death of his wife, Semra Aysal, who was seven months pregnant, but his lawyers and the Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor argued there was insufficient evidence for conviction.
- Prosecutors stated Aysal had taken out a $25,000 accident insurance policy naming himself the sole beneficiary, collecting the payout immediately after Semra’s death.
- Witnesses described Aysal as unusually calm after the incident, while he has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming his wife disappeared after he briefly turned away.
- The release sparked outrage among women’s rights groups and political factions in Turkey, who expressed concern over the implications for femicide cases and demanded justice for Semra and her unborn child.
