Turks are furious about a stray cat death

The death of a stray cat in Istanbul has led to demonstrations, petitions, and threats of death, which have forced the president to step in and the courts to retry the perpetrator.

On January 1, Ibrahim K. was captured on camera kicking to death Eros, a stray cat that his neighbors fed him on a daily basis, in the lobby of the building where he resided.

He had been given an 18-month jail term in early February, but due to his good behavior, he was freed. This infuriated animal protection organizations as well as some Turkiye residents, who feed and shelter a huge number of stray cats.

A petition calling for a harsher penalty was signed by some 320,000 people online. In late February, the Justice Ministry said that Ibrahim K. will face a new trial after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called during the night to express his “personal” interest in the issue.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people crowded the hallways of a court building to witness Ibrahim K.’s retrial in a tense environment.

Notwithstanding the pleas of animal welfare organizations and online trolls who have threatened his life, the courts decided to give him a one-year sentence enhancement without requiring him to be incarcerated.

One animal rights organization plans to file an appeal, arguing that Ibrahim K. ought to serve the entire four-year sentence permitted by law.

The Turkish version of Twitter, X, was trending with the hashtag #JusticeforEros (#ErosicinAdalet) on Thursday. As a result, numerous major newspapers, including Hurriyet, featured photographs of the deceased cat on their front pages.

Hurriyet published many pieces about “Ibrahim the killer” and Eros.

Mauro Icardi, the star striker for Istanbul giants and current Turkish champions Galatasaray, is among the celebrities who have joined the Justice for Eros initiative.