Tulay Goren, 15 year old teenager is from Woodford Green, in the north of London. This Kurdish Turk went missing in 1999 after her affair with her boyfriend Halil Unal, 41. Her body was never found after her mysterious disappearance.

The father of the girl, Mehmet Goren, 49 has been alleged to murder his daughter in the name of “honor killing”. Although the father denies murdering her, Tulay’s uncles, Cuma Goren and Ali Goren have also supported her father in the denial of the crime.

Mr. Unal has provided the court with the information that Ulay was not under tremendous pressure from her father. The girl used to confide in her boyfriend, “I hate my family” and “I am looking for a man who will love me and marry me”. The two met at the clothing factory where Mr. Unal was working and Ulay joined the factory for a summer job in 1998. They continued seeing each other even after her summer job. Mr. Unal, who asked Ulay’s mother for her hand in marriage, was told that she was already promised to an uncle’s son in Switzerland.

Mr. Unal also said that she used to have bruises on her face and her father beat her. Constant pressurizing was also there from her uncles too. In 1998, Mehmet Goren even attacked Mr. Unal in the factory to stop him from “bothering” Ulay. Mr. Unal expressed his happiness that the case has been brought to trail after a long wait of 10 years.

The prosecutor said that Ulay was last seen alive with her father in Woodford Green who was allegedly killed later during the day. The reason for the murder has been prosecuted that Ulay was killed to save the honor of the family. Mr. Unal belonged to the Sunni Muslim community and Ulay to the Alevi, the alliance of the two would not be tolerated. The trail is still ongoing.

Via: BBC