2022 November Report* 

30 Femicides and 20 Suspicious Deaths of Women in November 

The fight to stop femicides in Turkey has been going on for 12 years. As the Platform, since we identified the need in 2010, we have been disclosing femicide data to the public. Instead of explaining how many women have been killed, why, how and by whom, the Ministry of Interior distorts the facts by saying that the data on femicides are incorrectly prepared. It is the duty of the state not only to disclose the reality of femicides and suspicious deaths of women but also to implement concrete solutions to stop femicides. We will continue to fight for the mobilization of all relevant ministries and mechanisms to fulfil this duty. 

9 women were killed on the pretext of wanting to take decisions about their life 

This month, 30 femicides were committed, and 20 women were found suspiciously dead. 9 women were killed on the pretext of wanting to take decisions about their own life, such as wanting a divorce, refusing to reconcile, refusing to marry, or rejecting a relationship. The reason behind 21 of the femicides could not be determined. The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 21 women is the result of violence against women and femicides being rendered invisible. Unless it is determined by whom and why women were killed, unless a fair trial is conducted and the suspects, defendants and murderers are given deterrent punishments and unless preventive measures are implemented, violence continues to increase in size. 

We would like to share the names of the women, each of whom was a life: 

Femicide data in the month of November by city: 

By whom were the women killed? 

Of the 30 women killed in November, 13 were killed by the man they were married to, 4 by the man they were with, 3 by the man they used to be with, 1 by the man she used to be married to, 3 by their relative, 1 by her brother, 2 by an acquaintance. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 3 of the women. This month, 43% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to. 

Women were mostly killed in their homes 

19 of the women were killed at their homes, 4 in the middle of the street, 1 at her workplace, 1 in a field, 1 at a metrobus stop, 1 in a café, 1 in front of a building and 1 in a car. It could not be determined where 1 woman was killed. 63% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes. 

Women were mostly killed with firearms 

18 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 8 with sharp objects, 3 by strangulation and 1 by being pushed from a height. 60% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms. 

The employment status of women still cannot be determined 

It is very difficult to determine the employment status of women. We believe that this important data should be taken into consideration by the members of the press. According to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the number of women who were absent from the labour force due to their domestic labour was 10 million 35 thousand. According to TÜİK, the number of women who were not included in the labour force in the first quarter of the year (January-February-March) was 21 million 390 thousand. TÜİK’s warped data is an attempt to cover up the true extent of women’s unemployment. Women who are not included in or are removed from employment become more vulnerable to the dangers of gender-based discrimination, violence, and femicide. According to the data available this month, 4 of the women were employed, and 1 was unemployed. The employment status of 25 of the women is unknown. 

We Will Live Freely, We Will Stop Femicides! 

On the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we, as We Will Stop Femicides Platform Women's Assemblies, were on the squares with our slogan 'We will live freely, we will stop femicides', with 22 assemblies from Konya to Adana, from Eskişehir to France, from Frankfurt to Cyprus. As it was the last 25th of November before the upcoming elections, the government continued its repression. Our demonstrations were banned in Antep, Mardin, Bingöl and Istanbul. In Kadıköy, we did not accept the arbitrary ban of the district governor's office and exercised our constitutional right to demonstrate. 116 women friends, including more than 70 of our members, were detained. Against these attacks, we received support both on the streets and on social media. We will continue our struggle against all forms of violence. It is not impossible to detect and stop femicides; both femicides and gender-based violence can be prevented. We invite all women who want to join our organized, political and collective struggle to fill out our participation form. 

Stop the Killers, Not the Women! 

This month Müzeyyen Tekayak was murdered by Abdullah Tekayak, the man she was married to. It was learned that in 2020 the perpetrator had previously attempted to kill a woman he was with, and as soon as he was released, he killed another woman. On the last day of this month, Merve, a student in Istanbul, was sexually assaulted by Serdar Serkan Y., the driver of the minibus she was riding in. It was learnt that the perpetrator had more than 30 criminal records, including “sexual abuse”. 

According to our data, in 13% of the femicides this year, the perpetrators had criminal records. The table below shows the distribution of this data by month. 

The authorities who would release a perpetrator with more than 30 criminal records are responsible for this picture. What else have we seen this year? We saw Deniz Özarslan, who had previously attempted to murder a woman and was released, murder Ezgi Zerkin. Despite all of Ezgi’s complaints, we saw that she was not protected. Again, we saw Beyza Doğan, who was murdered despite complaining 35 times and getting a restraining order against the perpetrator. We saw that Kaffar Yeğin, who killed Hülya Şellavcı, was given a forced imprisonment decision for violating the restraining order, 3 days after Hülya’s death. We saw Fırat Alan, who was released from prison on leave, murder Zerife Doğan, Gülay Doğan, and 10-year-old Tayyip Demirbağ. We saw that the measures not applied against the perpetrators of femicide are applied to women struggling to prevent violence against women. 

The authorities who do not protect women from perpetrators with restraining orders against them, who do not take a stand against perpetrators of femicide and who encourage them with impunity policies, stand like an army against women who say, ”We will Stop Femicides” Despite all of these oppressions and violence, we will continue in our struggle. WE WILL STOP FEMICIDES! 

The Right to Housing and the Right to Health Services are Fundamental Human Rights! 

The Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık reinforced gender inequality with the policies she announced this month. According to her statement, in order for women whose husbands have died to benefit from housing support, they must both be receiving social assistance and have at least three children under the age of 18. This is in line with the President’s demand for three children. Such policies reinforce women’s poverty and the responsibility of care and domestic labour women are burdened with. Instead, public care services should be increased to relieve women of the responsibility of care. Instead of policies that confine women to the private sphere, policies aiming to increase women’s employment should be implemented. Minister Yanık keeps making promises to women but does not fulfil any of them. Minister Yanık had said that they would increase the number of women’s shelters, establish a sexual violence crisis centre and hotline, and prevent underage marriages. Today, we see that these promises have been forgotten. However, we do not forget; we will follow the realization of these promises. When you try to make us forget, you will see us in front of you; we will continue to fight for all our rights. 

Minister Derya Yanık said there were 242 femicides in the first 10 months of 2021 and 225 femicides in the first 10 months of 2022 and that the femicide rates decreased by 7%. According to our data, in the first 10 months of 2021, there were 225 femicides and 175 suspicious deaths of women, and in the first 10 months of 2022, there were 282 femicides and 208 suspicious deaths of women. According to the data, femicides are not decreasing; on the contrary, they are increasing. Moreover, considering the existence of femicides we are unable to track; those that are recorded as natural deaths or disguised as suicides or missing, we would like to remind you that the actual number of femicides is likely to be higher than the figures we publish. The government must define the data they are announcing. 

Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca stated that marital status will be taken into account to benefit from the HPV vaccine free of charge. The HPV vaccine should be free of charge and easily accessible to every woman. 

The policies and discourses of the political power are increasing gender inequality. The right to housing and the right to health services are fundamental human rights and should be protected for all women and girls without any conditions.  

We will reveal the truth behind the suspicious deaths of women! 

The importance of the data on the suspicious deaths of women, which we started to handle separately as of 2020, continues to increase day by day. In some months, we see more suspicious deaths of women than femicides. In cases where the cause of death is not clear - accident, suicide, natural death, murder, etc. - we encounter the concept of ‘suspicious death’. In suspicious deaths of women, it is vital that an effective investigation be carried out to uncover the truth behind the death. Sometimes after years of struggle, we learn that a woman did not die of natural causes or by accident or that she didn’t actually commit suicide. According to our data, in the first 11 months of 2022, at least 9 deaths that we had previously entered in our report as suspicious deaths of women turned out to be femicides. Since the case of Esin Güneş, whose file was initially closed as a suicide but was reopened when her family reached out to our platform, and the case was revealed to be a femicide, the relatives of the women who died suspiciously have been contacting us. We have been fighting to ensure an effective investigation together with the families. We will reveal the truth behind the suspicious deaths of women! 

Law No. 6284 and Its Results  

In Çorum, Merve K. was taken hostage for 18 hours with a gun by Mustafa Y., the man she had divorced. The perpetrator attempted to kill her. It was learned that the perpetrator had taken 4 people hostage with a shotgun last year and had surrendered after 5 hours. 

In the case of Ayşe Tuba Arslan, who had filed 23 criminal complaints and was murdered with a complaint petition in her bag, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the ‘unjust provocation’ discount applied to the perpetrator Yalçın Özalpay, stating that “the principle of fidelity is a subject of a divorce case”. 

The third hearing of the lawsuit filed against Vahit Bıçak, the lawyer of Hasan İsmail Hikmet, the perpetrator who had stabbed Ceren Damar to death in Ankara, was held. In the lawsuit where he is being tried for ‘insulting the memory of a person’, the prosecutor demanded the defendant be sentenced for ‘insult’, imposed a ban on him leaving the country and adjourned the hearing. 

In the trial of S. B., the man who battered Dilan Tali for 2 hours and then stabbed her on the pretext of jealousy, the prosecutor demanded him to be sentenced to 13 to 20 years for “attempting murder against a woman”. 

In Sakarya, Merve K. got sexually assaulted by Serkan Y., the driver of the minibus she was in. It was learned that the perpetrator, who was arrested, had a previous criminal record of sexual assault. 

Suspicious deaths of women should be revealed immediately 

In Denizli, 85-year-old Habibe Eren was found dead in an irrigation pool. 

In Van, 20-year-old F. M. was found shot dead with a firearm. It was learned that F. M. was engaged and had told her family that she did not want to get married, but her family had refused her. 

In Kahramanmaraş, 82-year-old Döndü Öksüz was found dead in her home.  

In Hatay, 14-year-old agricultural worker Fidan Tunç, who had been missing for 5 days, was found suspiciously dead. 

In Çorum, 75-year-old Melahat K. was found dead in her home. 

In Aydın, 78-year-old Hafize Çilenger was found dead in her home. 

In Van, 40-year-old Suna M., mother of 5, was found hanging. According to the autopsy report, Suna had bruises and fractures in many parts of her body. Suna's uncle stated that she was being subjected to systematic violence by the man she was married to. Other relatives claimed that the incident was not a suicide but was carried out by the man she was married to and was made to look like a suicide. G. M, the man Suna M. was married to, was arrested. 

In Kayseri, 44-year-old Seçil Y. died after falling from the 11th floor. 

In Samsun, 21-year-old Nurshat Muhammedova was found shot dead at a car repair shop. K. U., the owner of the workplace, claimed that Nurshat committed suicide. 

In Aydın, 68-year-old Zeliha Erdemci, mother of 7, was found hanging in the woodshed of her home. 

What happened regarding women in November? 

In a report by the United Nations, released on the occasion of the 25th of November, The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it was stated that 81,100 women and girls were murdered in the world last year. According to the report, approximately 45 thousand women were killed by the man they were married to, the man they were with or a male relative. The report also stated that most of the murders were gender-related. 

In France, the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research and the French Ministry of Justice published a report on femicide and sexual violence. According to the report, 121 femicides have been committed since the beginning of 2022. Of the 121 women, 86 were killed in their own homes. 54 of the women had been subjected to violence in their relationship or had decided to break up with the perpetrator. 

Iranian parliamentary deputies called for death penalties for the protesters who participated in the demonstrations in Iran, which began with the death of Mahsa Amini. It was stated that around a thousand people detained in the protests had indictments prepared against them and would be tried in public courts. 

In the World Cup competitions held in Qatar, it was demanded that the "OneLove"-themed armband used by the team captains be removed on the grounds that it had LGBTIQ+ connotations. In addition, the German National Team players decided to wear rainbow bands to draw attention to human rights violations against LGBTIQ+s in Qatar but abandoned their decision due to the sanctions imposed by the FIFA administration. 

The stories of the life struggles of the 30 women killed in November 

In Hatay, 32-year-old Sidra Tameemi was shot dead with a firearm in front of her house by Şahin Demir, the man she was with. The perpetrator committed suicide. 

In Istanbul, 32-year-old Kudret Karabülak, mother of 1, was shot dead with a firearm by Faruk Karabülak, the man she was married to. After the incident, the perpetrator fled with her 8-year-old daughter. He was later taken into custody. 

In Antalya, 35-year-old Aynur Çiçek was found dead in the house of Şenol Çankaya, the man she used to be with. Investigations revealed that Aynur Çiçek was strangled to death by Şenol Çankaya. The perpetrator was arrested. 

In Istanbul, 37-year-old Neriman Sakallı was shot dead with a firearm at a metrobus stop by Sadrettin Özdemir. The perpetrator chased Neriman Sakallı for a long time before the incident and, after killing her, committed suicide at the scene with the same gun. 

In Uşak, 80-year-old Ummühan H. was stabbed to death by İ. H., the man she was married to. 

In Bursa, 36-year-old Nazlı Meral was found stabbed to death in her house. Nurullah Meral, the man she was married to, was caught on the day of the incident after he hurt himself with a knife and went to the hospital. He was arrested as a murder suspect. 

In Diyarbakır, 21-year-old Meryem Sevim was killed with a firearm by Musa Sevim, the man she used to be with, on the pretext that she did not accept his marriage proposal. Meryem Sevim was hit by 9 bullets. Musa Sevim fled the scene and disappeared. It was stated that they were not related. 

In Kayseri, 73-year-old Fatma Topçu died after getting hit in the head with an axe at her home by Ali Rıza Topçu, the brother of Abdullah Topçu, the man she was married. Abdullah Topçu, who was bedridden, died of a heart attack after witnessing the incident. 

In Muğla, 35-year-old Sevim Çet was stabbed to death by Özgür Çet, the man she was married to, on the pretext that she was spending too much time on social media. It was learnt that the perpetrator threw Sevim’s body in the forest and filed a missing person report. 

In Gaziantep, 38-year-old Dilek Yavuz was shot dead with a firearm by Mehmet Yavuz, the man she was in the process of divorce and had gotten a restraining order against. It was learnt that the perpetrator was a police officer but was dismissed from the profession. 

In Manisa, 41-year-old Hülya Alkan, mother of 3, was murdered by Ali Alkan, the man she used to be married to. The perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun. 

In Manisa, Salih Güçlüer went to Gönül G's mother's house after Gönül, whom he was married to, left the house. The perpetrator killed Gönül’s mother Nergis Güçlüer and Kemal Güçlüer. 

In Ankara, 38-year-old Zülfi Çeri, mother of 2, was stabbed to death in front of her 9-year-old daughter by Yaşar Çeri, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was learned that Zülfi had a restraining order against the perpetrator at the time of her murder. 

In Istanbul, 49-year-old Nurten Karabulut was shot dead with a firearm in front of her 8-year-old daughter by Hüseyin Karabulut, the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun. 

In İzmir, 28-year-old greenhouse worker Özlem Camgöz was strangled to death in her house by Zekai Solak, the man she used to be with, on the pretext of jealousy. It was learned that Özlem had many beating marks and knife wounds on her body. 

In Ankara, 17-year-old Kader Yiğit was shot dead with a firearm by Yusuf Can Benli, who was allegedly her friend, while she was out with her friends. The perpetrator claimed that it happened while they were joking around. 

In Denizli, 32-year-old Gulzoda Kaolova was killed by her throat being slit by S. K., the man she was married to. The perpetrator then attempted suicide by slitting his own wrists. 

In Konya, Fadime Dağlı, mother of 4, was shot dead with a firearm by Mehmet Dağlı, the man she was married to. The perpetrator committed suicide afterwards. It is learned that Fadime had gotten a 6-month restraining order against the perpetrator but had withdrawn her complaint 1 month later. The perpetrator also had a criminal record for 'deprivation of liberty' and 'threat'. 

In Adana, Müzeyyen Tekayak, mother of 3, was shot dead with a shotgun by Abdullah Tekayak, the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator was released from prison a while ago. 

In Kocaeli, it was revealed that 29-year-old Sarah Alı Shareef, who was found dead naked, was strangled by 52-year-old A. K. 

In Istanbul, Hatice Hacı was shot in the head with a firearm by 17-year-old A. H., her brother. Hatice, who had a 7-month-old baby, ran away from her house because she was being subjected to violence by the man she was married to. It was learned that her family was threatening her to return back to that house. 

In Bolu, 24-year-old Selcan Dönmezler was shot in the head by Umutcan İlter, the man she was with, on the pretext of jealousy. The perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun. 

In Hatay, 35-year-old İnci Bağış Karakuş, mother of 2, was shot dead with a shotgun by Hüseyin Karakuş, the brother of the man she was married to. 

In İzmir, Özlem Eryağşi was shot dead with a firearm by C., the man she was with. It was learned that after killing Özlem, the perpetrator claimed that Özlem committed suicide. 

It was revealed that Berfin Ep, who was found dead while she was grazing animals in May 2020 and had allegedly committed suicide with a hunting rifle, was murdered. The criminal investigation revealed that the perpetrator was Murat G., who attempted suicide with the same weapon in the area close to the crime scene and was discharged from the hospital after treatment 

It was revealed that Gamze Yağlıoğlu, who died after allegedly falling from the 6th floor of her apartment building in November 2021, was pushed by Alper Yağlıoğlu, the man she was married to. 

In Istanbul, 17-year-old Tülay Vural and 27-year-old Merve Özturan were shot in the dead with a shotgun by Bülent P. The perpetrator claimed that he killed both women not to leave any witnesses behind. 

In Denizli, 18-year-old Elif Irmak was dragged by her hair to the middle of the street and was stabbed to death by Ahmet Emre Irmak, the man she was married to. The perpetrator also stabbed her father in the leg when he tried to intervene. 

In Istanbul, 33-year-old Shakhko Mukhtarova, mother of 3, was stabbed to death by Abdujalol Umırzokov, the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator killed her because she wanted to work.