Italian artist’s remains returned to her hometown

“I would like to extend my thanks to the whole Turkish nation for the affection they have shown us. I also want to thank Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the messages he released regarding my sister’s murder,” said the Italian artist’s sister, Antonietta Pasqualino, who took her sister’s body to Italy. The Italian artist, Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, also known as Pippa Bacca, was found dead on Saturday in a forested area in the industrial town of Gebze. She was hitchhiking to the Palestinian territories dressed in a wedding gown as part of her “Brides on Tour” project, aimed at pleading for peace in conflict areas.

Di Marineo was hitchhiking with a friend who was also wearing a wedding gown. The two left the Italian artist’s hometown of Milan on March 8 and hitchhiked to Turkey together. They separated in İstanbul shortly before di Marineo went missing, with the aim of reuniting in Beirut.

She was last seen or heard from on March 31 in Gebze and was missing since then. A suspect, identified as Murat Karataş, confessed to the murder during police interrogation and was being held in prison.

The Italian artist’s sister, Antonietta, carrying her sister’s remains, was sent off from Esenboğa Airport in the capital for Atatürk International Airport in İstanbul by representatives from the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) and the Mor Çatı (Purple Roof) association, which offers protection to female victims of violence or physical abuse.

ÖDP Chairman Ufuk Uras, in a press statement, expressed grief over di Marineo's murder.

"Dear Pippa, we are here together with you. We are here for peace, justice and humanity. You were killed by a man who spoke our language. Our sorrow will be eased a bit if we promise to exert our utmost to eradicate violence inflicted against women in this country. Good-bye, Pippa," he said.

Antonietta, in response, thanked the Turkish people for the affection they had showed her and her sister. "I would like to extend my thanks to everyone. I hope I visit Turkey the next time for a holiday, not for such a tragic event," she said.

The funeral for di Marineo will be held on Saturday in her hometown of Milan.

A group of British drummers who hitchhiked in Turkey for three months as part of their world tour said a single person's mistake cannot be attributed to the whole Turkish nation.

"It is a great misfortune that the Italian female artist was murdered in Turkey before she got to experience the great comfort of Turkish hospitality," said 25-year-old Lauran Brownen.

Brownen said he and his friend Tod Whatlinen, 26, were accommodated by Turkish villagers during the three months they spent in Turkey. "We adored the hospitality and sympathy of the Turkish people. We arrived in Turkey with the aim of spending one month in different provinces, but in the face of people's indescribable hospitality, we stayed there for three months," he said. He also expressed sorrow upon hearing of the Italian artist's murder. "I am deeply saddened that she faced such a destiny. But one person's mistake should not and cannot be attributed to a whole nation," he said.

"We traveled through dozens of Turkish provinces such as İstanbul, İzmir, Denizli, Nevşehir, Ürgüp, Kayseri, Ankara, Konya, Muğla and Antalya. Most of the people whom we met during our journey didn't know English, but they did their utmost to help us. I still cannot forget the taste of the soups I ate in Turkey. We were always greeted with affection and respect by Turkish people. They showed us greater affection than our own compatriots," noted Brownen.

Meanwhile, Gebze Mayor İbrahim Pehlivan announced yesterday that the residents of Gebze would offer an apology to di Marineo's family and the Italian nation.

"We strongly condemn the Italian artist's murder in the name of all Turks. We were deeply saddened to witness that an activist who was pleading for peace in conflict areas was killed in our town. We wish to continue her project. We want to pay a visit to the Italian Embassy to extend our apologies to the Italian nation," he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences in a written statement released yesterday. "A suspect confessed that he had committed di Marineo's heineous murder and was handed over to justice. We offer our condolences to the Italian artist's family, relatives and the whole Italian nation," read the statement.