Over 100 scriptwriters urge joint stance against Ozan Güven after Turkish actor beats girlfriend

Over 100 scriptwriters have urged all producers and channels to take a stance against Turkish actor Ozan Güven after the actor beat his girlfriend Deniz Bulutsuz. "We feel obliged to refrain from judging people by their celebrity levels and being a partner in their crimes by saying, 'We know him, he wouldn't do such a thing.' The fact that a man is admired in the society and culture and arts environment doesn't guarantee that he will not inflict violence," they said.

Duvar English

Over 100 scriptwriters have urged all producers and channels to take a stance against Turkish actor Ozan Güven after the actor beat his girlfriend Deniz Bulutsuz.

Bulutsuz on July 1 said that she was subjected to violence by Güven in his house on June 13 for over an hour.

"I was subjected to physical violence for over an hour. I will use my legal rights against Güven, who intended to kill me via not allowing me to leave the house while beating me and who is responsible for physical and psychological violence," Bulutsuz said in an Instagram post, adding that she has been receiving psychological support.

In her complaint, Bulutsuz said that they had an argument on that day over her ex-boyfriend, with Güven getting increasingly jealous and aggressive.

"When I told him that I was hurt by his insults, he started yelling and beating me. I tried to get out of the house, but he caught me and I fell down the stairs," Bulutsuz said.

"He didn't let me leave the house and said, 'You can't go anywhere. You'll stay here because you deserve this. I'm going to kill you.' He also took my phone away from me," she added.

Bulutsuz said that she managed to escape from Güven's house barefoot and without her phone.

The incident prompted outrage on social media, with thousands of people calling on producers to never work with Güven again.

'Male solidarity'

Violence against women is a grave problem in Turkey, with men killing and wounding women daily.

In addition to the laws being on the side of the attackers, men on social media and among celebrities are known to look out for each other following these types of attacks, questioning the statements of women, implying that the women prefer these men for their wealth and even legitimizing violence.

Ahmet Kural, another Turkish actor who beat his then-girlfriend Sıla, who is a famous singer, continues to appear in various projects despite his attack.

A similar "male solidarity" was the case following Güven's attack on Bulutsuz even though the latter shared pictures of her badly bruised face.

Güven said that he is the actual victim in the incident, claiming that Bulutsuz "threatened him to end his career."

Güven also shared pictures of himself to "prove" that he was subjected to violence, as thousands pointed to the fact that the bruises on his arm seemed to be a result of Bulutsuz's efforts in trying to save herself.

Strikingly, an expert appointed in the investigation that was launched following Bulutsuz's complaint determined that the security footage recorded at Güven's house at the time of the incident was deleted.

Scriptwriters, meanwhile, urged a joint stance against Güven, saying that they stand in solidarity with Bulutsuz.

"Women who are subjected to violence or harassment feel obliged to remain silent over social pressure because they know the society's cruel prejudices on the issue," the scriptwriters said.

"We feel obliged to refrain from judging people by their celebrity levels and being a partner in their crimes by saying, 'We know him, he wouldn't do such a thing.' The fact that a man is admired in the society and culture and arts environment doesn't guarantee that he will not inflict violence," they added.

Shortly after their statement, however, a social media user said that one of the signatories, Memed Onur Özkök, also inflicted psychological violence on her.

Twitter user "bengitalks" detailed how Özkök himself was subjecting her to psychological violence, urging the scriptwriters to remove his name from the list of the signatories.