Court frees women in 'abetting suicide' case

Two women who were detained after encouraging a man to commit suicide by jumping off the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul were released on condition of legal control by an Istanbul court on March 10.

The two women, H.U., 49, and M.Ö., 27, were released upon a court order as they denied the charges of "abetting suicide" in their court and prosecutor's office testimonies. The police, however, said the two testified they had "talked indiscreetly and said those [encouraging] words." 

The women had reportedly shouted at 45-year-old Erol Çetin early on March 9, as the man was considering suicide by jumping off the bridge, saying: "We have been waiting in the traffic for hours because of you. Jump now if you are going to jump." Upon the women's words, Çetin had reportedly replied, "So you say 'jump,' huh?" and jumped off the bridge, some 64 meters (210 feet) above the strait. 

According to the police, prior to jumping Çetin had been speaking with a police officer, who had been trying to discourage him from jumping for 45 minutes before the women arrived. The police officer said he called his co-workers to capture the women. 

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