Melek Ipek’s trial in Turkey is exposing the state of women’s rights in the country.

Editor’s warning: Mentions of domestic violence and sexual violence

Happening in the World: In Turkey, Melek Ipek’s trial is highlighting the widespread nature of domestic violence in the country. After enduring a night of physical and sexual violence at the hands of her husband, she found a gun and shot him as an act of self-defense. Turkish courts, however, have charged her with murder and given her a life sentence. Women’s rights groups are fighting for her sentence to be lifted, citing that she acted as necessary in self-defense in order to escape her abusive, violent circumstances. Women’s rights groups have also called attention to the rising numbers in the deaths of women over the last two decades. Notably, the Turkish government’s numbers regarding these deaths were reported as significantly lower— owing largely to the fact that the government stopped releasing data on murder according to gender in 2009, because of a sudden spike in numbers in the first months of 2009. (NYTimes)

Happening in the US: Newly declassified intelligence reports show that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin actively authorized efforts to sway the election results in favor of Donald Trump and against Joe Biden. While the report names neither Biden nor Trump— it does contain references to Trump’s lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani. Notably, Mr. Giulani has previously tried to tarnish Joe Biden’s image by highlighting his family’s work in Ukraine as an act of corruption. (NYTimes)

Happening in NYC: In an ongoing effort, to preserve monuments of Black history in NYC, the City bought a 3-story house in Brooklyn that has powerful connections with the abolitionist movement. The house at 227 Duffield Street, was owned by Harriet and Thomas Truesdell— two prominent 19-century abolitionists. Experts have argued that the house previously served as a stop for the Underground Railroad, the network of secret safehouses and trains that were used to enable enslaved African-American people to escape into Canada or the free states. (Gothamist)

Happening in our community: Today, at 6 pm, some incredibly accomplished pediatric specialists from Columbia’s Irving Medical Center will have a panel discussion on rare pediatric diseases and how to diagnose them— in a conversation that cuts across genetics, genome sequencing, and related advances in technology. (Event page)

From a fun corner of the internet:  If you need a break from your readings as desperately as I do, checkout WindowSwap. This website, which went viral somewhere during lockdown essentially allows you to look into views from other people’s windows, through windows around the world. It was designed by an Indian couple in Singapore, who wanted to find a way to travel without really, you know, traveling. Anyway, enjoy— WindowSwap. 

Protests in Turkey via Wikimedia Commons