Remember Özgecan Aslan

My name is Özgecan Aslan.

I’m 20 years old and a Psychology university student.

On my home from university one evening, I got on the service bus to take me back home.

I didn’t make it.

If only hadn’t got on. I didn´t know that my journey would end on the bus and not at my last stop.

Three horrible men attacked me. One was the driver, the other was his son and a friend of theirs.

It was too late before I realised they were going a different direction to where I lived.

I felt sick.

They cornered me at the back of the bus, one tried to reach for my clothes. What did he think he was doing? He wanted to rape me, I took the pepper spray out my bag and began spraying it vigorously in their faces. It was no use. They weren’t stopping.  I fought back and dug my nails into one of the attackers cheeks, he howled in pain.

“Help me, help me!” I screamed out. Tears rolling down my cheeks, I was shaking from fear. “Somebody, can anybody hear me?” My screams echoed against the bus windows, I screamed and cried and screamed till I could no more. I called for my Mum, I called for help, but nobody came!

They didn’t rape me, I wouldn’t let them, these filthy creatures were not human-beings any longer in my eyes. They were strong and too strong for me to fight back anymore, I kicked and hit and had dug my nails in deep. His face was bleeding, it made it worse. They were not going to let me go, three men were about  o kill me in way you can’t even imagine.

They hit me and left me covered in bruises.

My hands were cut off.

They stabbed me several times.

I screamed.

I cried.

I was terrified

I called out for my Mum, for my Dad, I cried out for help, but nobody heard me!

They burned my body and threw me in a forest nearby.

They killed me because I resisted rape.

Im sorry Mum, forgive me Dad, I wish I hadn’t got on.

Thousands of people came to my funeral.

Thousands of women and even many men have and still are marching in my name.

Everyday women are abused, raped and killed in Turkey and all over the world.

This has to stop!

My killers should serve the punishment they deserve and never be released, they don’t deserve to walk freely anymore.

I’m Özgecan Aslan and I was killed because I was a young woman who got on the bus home alone.

Remember me and what I went through.

Remember my name and whatever you do, do everything you can to make sure it doesn’t happen again!