2021 March Report*

28 Femicide, 19 Suspicious Women Deaths in March

Our fight to stop the femicides in Turkey have been continuing for 10 years. As We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we have been announcing femicide data to the public since 2010, when we identified the need. Instead of explaining how many women were killed, why, how and by whom, the Ministry of Interior distorts the facts by saying that our femicide data were prepared incorrectly. In addition to explaining the reality of femicide and suspicious deaths of women, it is also the duty of the state to implement concrete solutions to stop femicides. We will continue to fight to activate all relevant ministries and all mechanisms in order to fulfill this task.

The excuse for which 20 women were killed could not be determined

28 women were murdered this month, 19 women were found suspiciously dead. 20 of the 28 women who were killed could not be determined on what excuse they were killed, one of them was killed for economic reasons, and 7 of them were killed while trying to make a decision about their own life, such as wanting to divorce, refusing to make peace, refusing to marry, and rejecting the relationship. The failure to determine under what pretext 20 women were killed is a result of the violence against women and femicide being rendered invisible. Unless it is determined by whom and why women were killed; unless there is a fair trial, suspects, defendants and murderers receive deterrent punishments and preventive measures are not implemented, violence will continue to increase.

By whom were women killed?

In March,28 women were killed, 13 of them were killed by the men they were married to, 4 of them were killed by someone they knew, 3 of them were killed by the men they were with, 3 of them were killed by the men they were married to, 2 of them were killed by their relatives, 2 were killed by their siblings, 1 was killed by the man with whom she used to be together with.

Most women were killed in their homes

18 of the 28 women were killed at home, 6 in the middle of a street, 1 in a deserted place, 1 in a field, 1 in a car, 1 in a park. 64 percent of the women killed this month were killed in their homes.

Most of the women were killed by firearms

14 were killed by firearms, 9 by cutting tools, 3 by drowning, and 1 by burning. How 1 woman was killed could not be determined.

Employment status of women still cannot be determined

It is very difficult to determine the employment status of women. We think that this important data should also be taken into consideration by press members. According to the data announced by Turkish Statistical Institute this month, the number of women "engaged in housework" decreased by 1 million 050 thousand compared to the previous year. Thus, according to Turkish Statistical Institute, the number of women who are not even counted as labor force reached 10 million 309 thousand in January 2021. Turkish Statistical Enstitute's explanation of the data in this way is to try to cover up the real dimension of women's unemployment. Women who are not taken into working life or who are removed from employment become more vulnerable to the dangers of gender-based discrimination, violence and femicide. According to the available data, 1 of the 28 women who were killed was working in a workplace and the working status of 27 women is unknown.

Withdraw the decision, Implement the Istanbul Convention

As atrocious crimes continue to be committedagainst women in the form of murder and domestic violence, Turkey decided to withdraw from the İstanbul Convention, despite the fight that have been continuing for years for the careful and effective implementation of the convention. When the İstanbul Convention implemented fully and effectively, it is the biggest step in our feminist fight towards a life where women can live freely as equal to men.

Since July last year, The Istanbul Convention has been the subject of several controversies. The attackers of the convention repeatedly claimed that it encouraged “homosexuality”, that it was an attack on our “collective values”. To polarize people further, the ruling party has now made the LGBTIQ+ community its new target. This has been legitimized by withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention. Although the studies have shown that only a minor percentage of the population actually supports the withdrawal, the decision as a political strategy openly welcomes discriminatory and violent behavior towards the LGBTIQ+ folks.

Miraş Güneş was a trans woman whose dead body was discovered, wrapped in blankets in her apartment, the previous month in Izmir. It was revealed that the perpetrator hit Güneş in the head with a heavy object and the police has yet to identify and find him. We are faced with a situation where a trans woman was murdered and justice is nowhere to be found. Following Güneş’s murder, in Aydın, Fırat Kaya shared on social media, a video footage of him beating and torturing E.E. because of his sexual orientation. Those who target the LGBTIQ+ folks because of their sexual identities and orientations, are completely complicit in the crimes carried out against them.

Back when femicide was majorly overlooked by the media and people, our monthly reports were a big step towards uncovering the real gravity of the problem. Since then, we have managed to systemically strengthen our case with voices from all over the country with varying backgrounds joining our feminist struggle. Now, we are determined to uncover the reality of the systemic discrimination against the LGBTIQ+ folks.

Since President Erdoğan’s withdrawal announcement, we have managed to take the streets from all over the country as the We Will Stop Femicides Platform Women’s Assemblies, making our voices heard, condemning the decision.

We took the streets for equality and freedom on March 8

This year on March 8, as the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we took the streets, protesting and shouting “we will not let the suspicious deaths go unresolved, we will make sure that the Istanbul Convention is implemented!” Women that fight for equality everyday in every aspect of their lives came together to fight not just for themselves but for all women, which made our fight even bigger and louder. These marches proved that until there is equality for each and every one of us, we have to fight systemically for our feminist struggle together.

Women’s Assemblies of University Students: Hands off of our Universities, Hands off of our Convention!

As the Boğaziçi protests continue to grow, we saw incidents of the police confiscating the LGBTIQ+ flags that belonged to the protesters both at the women’s march and at Boğaziçi University. When the Boğaziçi students came together to protest the arrests of their peers, the police once again confiscated their LGBTIQ+ flags and forcefully arrested several students.

Worker Women’s Assemblies: We’ll raise our fight against those who exploit the labour of the workers!

Worker Women’s Assemblies conducted protests to get the seized wages of Crakers Pizza workers, what they deserved. At the end of the negotiations, representatives of the Crakers Pizza promised that payments would be made. ETS Tur workers, who could not receive their wages for a year, reached Worker Women’s Assemblies. After the call to action made by the workers who met with the Store Supermarket Union, the workers got their rights.

The women's liberation fight paved the way for the workers' fight for rights against all inequalities.

The Law No. 6284 and its consequences

The Law No. 6284, which regulates many measures such as restraining order for perpetrators, close protection; provide rights ranging from empowering women financially to changing the identity card information and entered into force as a result of years of fight of women's organizations, protects women if applied effectively.

Interior Minister Soylu expressed in his statement that “Nobody can claim that 'something happened to me and the state was insensitive to me about it.' ' In this month, Sezen Ünlü was battered and murdered by the man she was with and had complained to police about and Necla Demirbaş was killed by the man she was with, despite a protection order. Ayşe Tuba Arslan could not be protected by the state despite her 23 criminal complaints and 4 protection orders, and she was killed in the middle of the street by the man she was married to. Afterwards, it was reported that the judge of the family court, who did not take any effective and deterrent injunction against the perpetrator despite repeatedly violating the restraining orders, ruled that there was no need for prosecution and ‘the police units had no fault and there was no need for an investigation” and the investigation file was closed. We are asking again: Has the state imposed any sanctions on public officials who did not implement the Law No. 6284?

While women who are subjected to violence are not protected and LGBTIQ+ people are exposed to hate speech and are killed in our country, the termination decision means state's disregard for protecting the security of life of women and LGBTIQ+.Those who take the decision pave the way for violence. We will never give up the Istanbul Convention, which keeps women alive, creates gender equality, and eliminates any discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identities.

While it is not known whether 24 of the women killed in March had a protection order, it is only known that 4 women had legal applications such as police complaints, initiating the divorce stage, restraining or protection order.

In the case of Şule Çet, the Prosecution Office of the Supreme Court of Appeal demanded that the remission applied to the perpetrator be reversed and Berk Akand, who was sentenced for aiding, to be tried as the principal perpetrator.

In the case of Gönül Özcan, who was killed by the man she wanted to leave, the defendant was sentenced to life for "wilful murder" and 6 years and 12 months imprisonment for "restriction of freedom" without any remission.

In Samsun, Emriye Meteoğlu was subjected to severe violence by İbrahim Zarap, whom she was formerly married to, in front of his 5-year-old daughter in the middle of the street. İbrahim Zarap shouted to people who came to the scene by saying that “It is a family matter, do not get involved.I will finish this job here; I will kill her”. Right after the incident which lead to public indignation; Zarap, who was detained and arrested, was asked to be sentenced to 18 years in prison for the crimes of "wilfully attempted murder and damaging property".

Filiz Y, who lives in Adana, was beaten and thrown out of her home by Atilla T. whom she was with, Filiz already had a suspension order. Police teams, who were dispatched to the scene upon the notice, entered the house where Atilla T, who did not open the door, with the help of a locksmith, and the suspect was detained.

In Tekirdağ, Ayşe A. was set on fire by Ekrem A., whom she was married to, with petrol poured on her. Ekrem A. fled the scene. Ayşe A., who extinguished the flames with her own means, was seriously injured and because of her life-threatening condition she is struggling to survive in the intensive care unit in the hospital.

 Nurdan Sezici, who lives in Sinop, was shot with a hunting rifle by Mehmet Sezici, who was in the process of divorce. It was stated that Nurdan Sezici, who already hospitalised, preserves the seriousness of her health.

 In Niğde, pre-school teacher Sibel Yüzer was seriously injured by a gun by Mehmet Yüzer, whom Sibel Yüzer is in the process of divorce. When Sibel Yüzer saw the gun on the waist of Mehmet Yüzer, whom she met to talk, she took shelter in a nearby market. After shooting Sibel Yüzer with a pistol in the market, Mehmet Yüzer ran away.

 In Bursa, Songül Ü., was injured with a shotgun by her partner Şenol Ş. on the pretext of her desire of leaving the house. While Songül Ü. The buckshot hit her leg and she was taken to hospital, Şenol Ş. fled the scene.

 In Ankara, Gülizar Ö. was stabbed in the middle of the street by Necati Ö. whom she was divorced. While the attacker was caught at the scene, Gülizar Ö. was seriously injured by the knife blows she received was taken to the hospital.

 Nuran K. was beaten at her home in front of 3 children by Şükrü E., whom Nuran K. was divorced from him a week ago. Afterwards Şükrü E. opened fire with the gun in his waist. Nuran K., whose body was hit with 2 bullets, was injured seriously.

 All these examples show how the full and effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention and 6284 is vital for women. In order to protect women effectively, cautionary decisions should be implemented, the process should be followed, all units of the state should protect women's rights and public officials who do not fulfill their duties should not go unpunished.

Suspicious women deaths must be immediately disclosed

As we have explained in our reports for a while, there has been a serious increase in the number of suspicious women deaths presented as suicide or natural death and the number of women who were found dead in a suspicious way, along with the pandemic process. Suspicious women deaths, unfortunately, can be even more difficult than femicides. Whether women were killed or not, whether they actually died by accident, whether women were killed on a gender basis (whether it was a femicide), whether they committed suicide or whether they were driven to suicide need to be revealed.

23 year old Sevcan Demir died suspiciously after an argument with Kenan Danış, with whom she was in Istanbul.

The lifeless body of 38 year old Futem Alhamadi was found on the Urfa- Akçakale road, on fire.

In Ankara, 28 year old Ayşegül Türkben was found dead in her home after an argument with Selman kanıcı.

Ayten Sevim was injured by falling from the stairs in Çanakkale. Later, the woman who got into the car with Mürettin Sevim, whom she was married to, died in the hospital.  Ayten Sevim’s children reported that they suspect their father.

28 year old public prosecutor Özlem Salkım died in Yozgat after being shot in the head with a firearm during her birthday celebration. It was learned that the people who were with her started the gun fire while playing with the gun.

In Gaziantep, 16 year old Rümeysa Sena Kara died by falling from the roof of the building where her father lived.

    The suspicious deaths of 19 women we learned in March should be revealed as soon as possible. What to do is obvious; The termination decision of the Istanbul Convention should be withdrawn, the protection law no 6284 and the Istanbul contract should be implemented effectively and fully together with all institutions and organizations.

Investigations of suspicious women deaths must be carefully examined and concluded promptly.

What happened with women in March ?

On the night of March 20, President Erdogan announced that the Istanbul Convention, which was approved by the decision of the Council of Ministers and the Assembly, entered into force and can not be terminated by only the president's decision, is terminated.

At the AKP ordinary congress held after the termination of the Istanbul Convention, Erdogan said, "We have something to say to those who seek to protect the rights of our women, not in conscience, but in papers."

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said "Femicide rates per 1 million people is: 13 people in the world, 7 people in Europe, 3.8 people in Turkey. Our responsibility is to fight all forms of violence. Turkey will be a model to the world with its fight."

AKP Kayseri deputy Hülya Atçı Nergis stated that femicide is exaggerated. She said, "The number of killed men is 12 times this number." Nergis also justified that there is less violence against women in Turkey, compared to other countries.

In his speech for 8 March International Women’s Day, President Erdogan said ‘’ Our mothers are the most devoted mothers in the world, and our women are the most altruistic women in the world.’’ He stated that it is more dangerous to discriminate between women then to discriminate between women and men.

AKP Kayseri deputy Hülya Atçı Nergis said in a television program she attended, "The ones who raise those who killed women are women too. Do women not have any share in this violence? For us, the family is an institution that needs protection. At this point, I do not find the approach of the Istanbul Convention correct.’’

The Tokyo Olympics added 12 women to the Board of Management in what they call the "Late Gender Equality Push".

Hundreds of women gathered in Parliament Square in London to commemorate Sarah Everard who was killed by police in England. Although the police reacted very strongly to the women who came together, the women also protested the police interventions.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized for the rape which Liberal Party's former parliamentary employee announced on her television channel. Two Australian ministers were removed from the cabinet.

Survival stories of 28 women who killed in March

43-year-old Halime Türkaslan, who lives in Niğde, was seriously injured by a sharp object in the middle of the street by Mehmet Karakaya, who she was divorced from. Halime, who was taken to the hospital, passed away.

Nebahat Kurt, a 46-year-old mother of one child living in Istanbul, was killed by Emrullah Kurt whom she was married to, on the site of her house where she lived with a firearm on the excuse that she refused to pay his gambling debt. The perpetrator, who fled to Ankara, noticed the police and committed suicide.

Nuran Koçer, a 40-year-old mother of 3 children  who is living in Kayseri, was beaten first in front of her children and then killed with a firearm on the pretext of jealousy by Şükrü Efe, whom she was divorced from.

92-year-old Hanım Pınarlı, who lives in Aydın, was sexually assaulted by her neighbor A.Ç. and was strangled to death. It was learned that the perpetrator who stole the jewelry in the house of Hanım had a criminal record for theft.

Fatma Kovan, a 26-year-old mother of one child who is living in Denizli, was killed with a firearm in front of her house by Osman Ayvaz, who she was divorced from.

34-year-old Reyhan Korkmaz, mother of 4 children who is living in Ankara, was killed in front of her children by a sharp tool by Zeynel Korkmaz, whom she was married to. It was learned that Reyhan had a decision to suspend Zeynel Korkmaz, who threatened her a while ago, and then gave up her complaint.

Mervenur Polat, a 20-year-old mother of one child living in Antalya, was killed by Cüneyt Akyol with a rope. It was learned that the perpetrator sent the body of Mervenur, who had not been heard from for 4.5 months, to his family's house by cargo and hid it there.

Bensu Narlı, 23, living in Muğla, was killed by Serhat Kantaş with a firearm. It was learned that the perpetrator harassed and threatened Bensu for years, and that the perpetrator had cases of sexual harassment and threats against other women.

60-year-old Cennet Alptekin, who lives in Aksaray, was killed with a firearm by Ekrem Alptekin, whom she was married to. Perpetrator committed suicide with the same gun after the incident.

Hüsna Temurtaş, a 30-year-old mother of 3 children who is living in İzmir, was killed with a firearm by Hüseyin Temurtaş, whom she was married to, on the excuse that she went out without his permission. It was learned that the perpetrator had a criminal record.

Mediha Aygün, a mother of 3 children who is living in Düzce, was killed with a sharp object by Metin Aygün, whom she was in the process of divorce. The perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun.

Gülbahar Atabay, a 25-year-old mother of one child living in Mardin, was killed by her brother with a firearm. It was learned that the incident took place when Gulbahar and her family were attacked at home by the man she was married to.

17-year-old Gizem Canbulut, who was living in Burdur, was killed by Eren Yıldız with a sharp object in the park.

28-year-old Aysel Yok, a mother of 4 children living in Van, was killed with a firearm by Remzi Yok, whom she was married to.

47-year-old Serpil Palalı, mother of one child, and her daughter Serap T. , a 29-year-old mother of two children, who was living in Izmir, were killed by a firearm by Hüsnü T. , whom Serap T. was in the process of divorce.

44-year-old Hatice Yıldız, mother of 2 children who is living in Antalya, was seriously injured by a cutting tool by Mustafa Yıldız, whom she was married to. It was learned that Hatice had decided to suspend the perpetrator and died 11 days after being hospitalized.

34-year-old Rabia Doğan, who was living in Antalya, was killed by Besat Doğan, whom she was about to divorce, with a firearm in the middle of the street, on the pretext of riding someone else's motorcycle. In the statement of the perpetrator who was released from prison, he said "I did not want to kill my wife."

70-year-old Havva Yılmaz, who was living in Diyarbakır, was burned to death in her home by her nephew A.G.

Serpil Fikirli, a 33-year-old mother of three children, who was living in Osmaniye, was killed with a sharp object by Cemil Fikirli, whom she was married to. Serpil had a suspension decision regarding the perpetrator.

33-year-old Nagihan Üstün, who was living in Izmir, was killed in a car by Fırat Köksal, whom she was with, with a firearm. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same gun after the incident.

Meral Sivrikaya, a 50-year-old mother of 2 children who was living in Denizli, was killed with a sharp object by Erkan Sivrikaya, whom she was in the process of divorce. The perpetrator killed Meral, who was staying in her daughter's house, by hanging a rope from the roof of the house and entering the flat, and it was learned that he had written "return your home, no honor, no forgiveness" to the window of the house.

In Adana, 21-year-old İslim Ahmed was killed by her brother Beşir Ahmed with a sharp object. It was learned that the Syrian woman, who was found on the roadside, was 8 months pregnant.

51-year-old Bedia Aydoğan, who was living in Diyarbakır, was killed at her home by Cevzet Aydoğan, whom she was married to. Bedia, whose house was thought to be burned down due to problems from electrical contact, had bruises and cuts on her body. The perpetrator confessed after the incident that he set the house on fire to cover up the murder.

17-year-old Sezen Ünlü, who was living in İzmir, was killed by Anıl Yolum whom she was with, with a sharp object in the middle of the street. Sezen, who was 5 months pregnant, had a police complaint and a suspension decision beforehand due to the physical violence against the perpetrator.

32-year-old Necla Demirbaş, who was living in Aydın, was killed with a firearm by Olgun Gün, whom she used to be with and who she had a suspension order about. The perpetrator attempted suicide with the same gun after the incident.

52-year-old Yeter Yılmaz, who was living in Tekirdağ, was killed by Kemal K., who she was with, with a firearm. It was learned that the perpetrator buried Yeter in a field after the murder.

32-year-old Ceyda Ö. , who lives in İzmir, was strangled to death at her home by Serkan Ö. , whom she was married to. It was learned that the family, who could not hear from Ceyda and entered the house with the help of a locksmith, said Serkan Ö. waited 3 hours after he killed Ceyda.