Slain Turkish-Armenian bride laid to rest in Istanbul
Tuesday, December 14, 2010

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

A Turkish-Armenian newlywed who was allegedly shot and killed by her brother for marrying a Muslim man without the family’s approval was laid to rest at Istanbul’s Surp Kevork Armenian Church on Tuesday.

Soney Vural, 26, and her new husband Zekeriya Vural, 29, were both shot to death in their car in the Fatih district of Istanbul on Saturday.

Soney Vural’s brother, Göney Ö., was detained after the killings, confessing to the crime, according to news agencies.

According to media reports, Göney Ö. told police that his family objected to the marriage on grounds that the couple were "from different cultures.” In his testimony, Göney Ö. said he killed the couple because Zekeriya Vural had "insulted [his] Christian identity" and had said it was against his honor to hold a wedding ceremony at a church.

The couple had married without their families’ knowledge less than two weeks ago.

Sorrow and anger permeated the atmosphere in the church Tuesday, as women from Soney Vural’s family accepted condolences and her father went to the cemetery for preparations.

“I wish she had not married [him],” said a family member, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on the condition of anonymity. “I still cannot believe what happened.”

A white bridal veil was put on Soney Vural’s coffin; the veil is traditionally put on the coffins of women who die before wearing their bridal dress. Television cameras were not allowed into the ceremony.

Zekeriya Vural’s funeral was held on Monday in Istanbul's Kocamustafapaşa neighborhood. His mother, Hazal Emine Vural, cried during the ceremony, saying that her son’s only crime was falling in love with the wrong person.

“Our children agreed among themselves. They would each live according to their own religion,” said Murat Vural, the father of Zekeriya