A man jailed for life for allegedly pushing his seven-month pregnant wife off a 300m cliff has been released after a shock court ruling.
Hakan Aysal was convicted of murdering Semra, 32, who plunged to her death at Turkey’s famous Butterfly Valley in June 2018.
But the country’s Supreme Court has now ordered his release after reviewing the case, bringing an end to his time behind bars.
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His lawyer, Mehmet Buğra Çiçek, said Aysal had spent around four years in solitary confinement during his detention.
He said: “The six years of unjust detention my client endured, approximately four of them alone in a cell, have come to an end today.”
The case attracted widespread attention after it emerged that Hakan had taken out a personal accident insurance policy worth 400,000 TRY (around £7,000 at the time), naming himself as the beneficiary.
Prosecutors alleged he had taken Semra to the beauty spot under the pretence of a holiday before pushing her from the cliff, as reported by Need To Know.
They also claimed he later tried to claim the insurance money, but his application was blocked.
Aysal denied murdering his wife, insisting he had turned around to find her missing.
He told the court: “When I turned back, my wife was not there.
“I looked down the cliff and ran around looking for her.
“I did not push my wife.”
He claimed the insurance policy had been taken out because of their interest in extreme sports.
In February 2022, he was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, although the presiding judge disagreed and argued he should be acquitted.
The conviction was subsequently challenged, with a Supreme Court prosecutor raising concerns about the lack of direct evidence and the circumstances surrounding the insurance policy.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal General Assembly has now ordered Aysal’s release, with his lawyer describing the decision as a “fair and correct ruling”.
The latest decision does not amount to a finding of innocence, with the case still subject to further legal examination.
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