On November 9, 2021, 28-year-old Architect Başak Cengiz, who was attacked with a samurai sword by Can Göktuğ Boz, who was 27 years old at the time, while walking on the street during his business trip in Ataşehir, Istanbul, lost his life. While the young architect was buried in his hometown Ankara, the attacker Boz was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. The attacker, Boz, who was found to be mentally healthy, admitted in his defense that he had committed the murder by planning it. Defendant Boz said that due to unhappiness and boredom, he targeted a woman whom he thought he could not resist.
THE YOUNG ARCHITECT'S MEMORIES ARE KEPT ALIVE IN HIS ROOM
Mother Beyhan Cengiz and father Avni Cengiz decorated their daughter's room with the memories she left behind. The Cengiz family, who carefully stored Cengiz's remaining belongings and preserved his room in its original state, said that in the past 5 years, their pain was still as fresh as the first day and that they had gone through difficult times. Speaking at their daughter's grave, the Cengiz couple talked about the developments in the past 5 years and what happened on the day of the incident.
"MY WIFE SAID, 'A MURDER MURDERED OUR DAUGHTER', I WAS DEVASTATED AT THAT MOMENT"
Beyhan Cengiz, who said that she felt very sad about the way her daughter was attacked, said, "No one told me at first how my daughter was killed. I called my son. He said to me, 'Mom, I can't give you this news.' Then I called my wife. I asked what happened to my daughter. She said, 'A murderer killed our daughter.' I was devastated at that moment. My heart couldn't stand it. Can a person attack someone they don't know like that? I was even more devastated when I heard about the sword incident. This situation took us five years." "It has destroyed my family. I still cannot solve such a brutality. Virgos must live, we must take precautions and change as a society to protect our women and children. This situation is growing like an avalanche now," he said.
"I CONSTANTLY CALLED MY DAUGHTER THAT DAY"
Mother Cengiz, talking about the conversations she had with her daughter on and before the day of the incident, said, "Başak sent me a message on the night of the incident. 'Mom, I can't sleep. I will deliver my project in the morning. Wake me up. After waking me up, chat with me so I don't go back to sleep.' I told my wife. I said remind me if I forget. I called her father and I. We both talked. That day, I constantly called my daughter. I asked if everything was okay. She said she was very sleepy. I said, with a white face. "I told him that he would return to Ankara. It was true. He received congratulations from people in higher positions than him. We couldn't reach him later. We thought he was tired and was resting. Then we heard the news."
"HE SAW THE NEWS ABOUT FEMAIC MURDER AND STARTED CRYING"
Stating that her daughter always aims to do good to people, mother Cengiz said, "Whoever you asked about Başak, she would say the same thing. She was very hard-working, compassionate, from a young age she understood everyone's needs without anyone else's help and would immediately come to their aid. She was a friendly person. She was a proud, playful person who liked to share, and had a good dialogue. Even her walk was very noble. She was a person who could express herself very well and speak fluently. One day, we were watching television. She saw the news of femicide and started crying." "I hugged her. She said, 'Mom, our crying doesn't mean anything. We have to do something for these women.' He was very sensitive to such events."
"I'M ON FIRE BECAUSE I MISS YOUR SMELL, YOUR SMILE AND THE WAY YOU CALL ME 'MOM'"
Mother Cengiz, who also read the note she prepared for her daughter, said:
"Five years have passed since that painful day when time stopped for a mother and her breath was taken away. My heart was on fire because I missed the smell, the smile, and the way she called me 'mother', who was brutally murdered and taken away from life because she was a defenseless person. When the massacres of women made me despair, I wrote on my daughter's tombstone with the words 'My departure to me is like a seed falling to the ground. The seeds will sprout and come to life. Today, even though I am kneaded with pain, I am standing by holding on to those sprouts.' umut buluyorum. Başak artık sadece benim evladım değil. Bu ülkede masumiyetin, adaletin ve yaşama hakkı elinden alınan tüm kadınların simgesidir. Onun adı hep yaşamalı ki başka Başaklar solmasın, annelerin yüreği dağlanmasın. Burada durup kızımı üzmek ve ağlamak istemezdim. Gözlerime sözüm geçmiyor. Yüreğim hüzünlenince gözlerimden yaşlar süzülüyor. Kızım sen üzülme. Senin yapmak istediklerini kardeşlerin yapacak. Toprağa bıraktığın ve filizlenen kardeşlerin seni hiç unutmayacak. Kızım I remember you with mercy and endless longing. May you rest in peace, my hennaed cousin.
"WE KEEP HIM ALIVE IN THIS ROOM"
Stating that they decorated his daughter's room with her memories, Cengiz said, "When I enter this room, I find peace with the memories of Başak. Virgos' peace means success. Virgos have so many memories, which one should I tell you about? He would give beauty to the place he touched, he was a child who blossomed, sprouted and took root, just like his name. We keep him alive in this room. When we enter the room with his father, we find peace, touch our child's memories and remember him and leave in peace. Virgos must live, "We must keep Virgos alive. We must not harm Virgos. We go into the room a lot because we find peace. Even when his father is not around, I touch his picture and tell him what has been done to him. I feel like I am listening to him live."
"SOMEONE ATTACKED MY DAUGHTER WITH A SWORD FROM BEHIND"
Speaking about the day of the incident, father Avni Cengiz said, "I talked to my daughter on the phone the evening before the day of the incident. She told me that she would deliver the project she had prepared and asked me to wake her up in the morning. I woke her up by calling her in the morning. She had delivered her project to the company. We called in the evening, but we did not receive any news. After a while, the police called my son. They said that his brother had an accident and that he had to come to the hospital. We immediately set off. We went to Istanbul. When we went to the hospital, they told me that my daughter's heart had stopped. We were all shocked at that moment. Then, we were all shocked about the truth of the incident. "We learned that someone attacked my daughter from behind with a sword. We had spent time together in Istanbul before. 5 years have passed, our pain is still fresh, but she is not there."
"I WENT TO HIM AND WE HAD A TROUBLE"
Stating that he always spent time with his daughter, father Cengiz said, "She studied at Başak science high school. We used to go to school together. She stayed in Safranbolu for 5 years for her university education. I would go to her. We would talk about our problems. She was a very different girl. She was a well-mannered, decent, hard-working person. She was always studying. At first, we did not understand anything, but later our pain grew a lot. I have been coming to her grave for 5 years. Our family was torn apart."
"I REACT TO THE INSTITUTION WHERE BAŞAK WORKS FOR, THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL PROVIDE ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT"
Stating that there were misunderstandings after his daughter's death, Avni Cengiz said, "I am reacting to the institution where Başak worked. The officials there sent someone to us when Başak died. They said they would provide all kinds of support. People also misunderstood this situation. They thought that someone gave us money. However, no one gave us money. We did not ask for money from anyone. We met with the chairman of the board of directors when Başak died. Then he cut off contact with us and never called. I just made a request to our President. The one my daughter graduated from. "I asked for the faculty to be named after him. Within 15 days, my daughter's name was given to the school she attended. Then, the school administration hosted us very well in Safranbolu and they invite us to the graduation ceremonies every year. We did not ask for anything else from anyone."
"SPENDING TIME IN THIS ROOM GIVES US PEACE"
Stating that they found peace in his daughter's room, Father Cengiz said, "Spending time in this room gives us peace. Başak's memories and deeds come alive every time we come. We miss Başak. We satisfy our longing. Başak's memories are here. Her gifts are here. Not a day goes by without her. We come here and talk to Başak. Our time is so sad."
