Cemaliye Onyıldız, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for killing her niece's boyfriend Halil İbrahim Mengi with a cleaver in Nicosia on 5 February 2021 — claiming he had sexually harassed her — has died in hospital after falling ill in custody.
Her defence lawyer, Öykü Akcan, published a heartfelt farewell message following the news of her client's death. Akcan noted that throughout her career she had never turned her cases into a personal narrative or used her clients' stories for self-promotion, stressing that behind every file there is a human story waiting to be understood.
Akcan described Onyıldız, who was deaf, as one of the clients who had affected her most deeply, saying she had witnessed first-hand her client's struggle to express herself, to be understood, and to hold on to life.
The lawyer added that the appeal process had concluded and that Onyıldız's release on parole had become a strong possibility — making her death all the more painful as she had been so close to a new beginning.
In her tribute, Akcan wrote: "I bid you farewell not only as your lawyer, but as someone who witnessed your life story, who knew you, and who carried you in her heart. Life did not treat you kindly. You endured so much and fought so hard. I hope the next life brings you the peace, goodness and compassion you could not find in this one."
