A Turkish man who walked free from prison despite murdering two wives has been arrested for killing his third wife in a case that activists say starkly illustrates how the Turkish authorities fail to protect women at risk as femicide remains rampant in the country.
Last week police found the body of Mutlu Menekse, 48, in a decrepit building in the western province of Manisa and quickly detained Necati Akpinar as the sole suspect, acting on a tip-off from witnesses. In his questioning by police, the 58-year-old confessed to fatally hitting Menekse in the head with a blunt object during an argument, officials from the Manisa Bar Association who follow the case told Al-Monitor. The man described Menekse as his wife, the sources said, though the couple had had only a religious wedding ceremony, a practice widespread but not officially recognized in Turkey.