31 Femicides and 25 Suspicious Deaths of Women in January 

The fight to stop femicides in Turkey has been going on for 13 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. 

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

This month, 31 femicides were committed, and 25 women were found suspiciously dead. 12 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, 1 woman was killed on economic pretexts, 1 woman on the pretext that she under care, 2 women on the pretext of revenge and 1 woman on the pretext of hate. The reason behind 14 of the femicides could not be determined. The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 14 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 January, by city: 

By whom were the women killed? 

Of the 31 women killed on January 11 were killed by the man they were married to, 4 by the man they were with, 2 by the man they used to be with, 3 by their relative, 3 by their son, 2 by their father, 1 by her brother, 3 by an acquaintance and 1 by a stranger. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 1 woman. This month, 35% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to. 

Women were mostly killed in their homes 

20 of the women were killed at their homes, 6 in the middle of the street, 2 in their house add-ons, 1 in a field and 1 in her child’s school. It could not be determined where 1 woman was killed. 65% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes. 

Women were mostly killed with firearms 

13 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 10 with sharp objects, 3 by strangulation, 2 by being burned to death, 2 by being beaten to death and 1 with a chemical substance. 42% 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. 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, 8 of the women were employed, and 2 were unemployed. The employment status of 21 of the women is unknown. 

We Will Stop Femicides Platform Association cannot be shut down by unlawful lawsuits: On the 8th of February, we will be at Çağlayan Courthouse! 

We will be at Çağlayan Courthouse on the 8th of February at 10:00 for the 3rd hearing of the unlawful closure case against our association. For years, we have been doing what the authorities have not done with our own means. We keep data on femicides, follow the cases of murdered women, women subjected to violence and children subjected to abuse, and women apply to us for protection. According to our 2022 Application Reception Report (available only in Turkish) published this month, 1021 people applied to our association last year. For this very reason, We Will Stop Femicides Platform Association cannot be shut down with unlawful lawsuits! We will continue our struggle; no woman will ever walk alone! 

We Will Follow Every Procedure; We Will Enforce 6284! 

This month, Aslı Yılmaz was murdered by being shot ten times in the street by Hüseyin Emre Yılmaz, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was revealed that Aslı’s restraining order against the perpetrator had expired a month ago, and her request for the extension of the restraining order was rejected by the court on the grounds that ‘there was no evidence that the suspect would commit violence’. Last month, Pelin Ceylan was murdered by Mehmet Eroğlu, the man she had divorced. She had gotten a restraining order against the perpetrator and changed her identity information. It was learned that Pelin was also killed after her restraining order expired and that law enforcement officers had advised her to “leave Ankara for her safety”. 

The Ministry of Justice issued a circular on the implementation of Law No. 6284. In this circular, it is stated that the authorities should investigate whether a situation may pose a risk, such as a previously given cautionary decision, previously opened investigation and prosecution file, and divorce and custody cases. You cannot protect women by publishing ostensible circulars; we will be the follower of each and every circular. Our 2022 data shows that 18 women like Pelin and Aslı were killed last year after their restraining orders expired. If Law No. 6284 had been implemented effectively, if these measures had been followed up and their continuity maintained, these women would still be alive. The authorities who do not follow up on the measures specified in Law No. 6284 are responsible for these femicides. With our struggle, Law No. 6284 will be implemented effectively! 

We will Reveal the Truth behind the Suspicious Deaths of Women 

Since 2022, 56 women have died suspiciously by falling from a height. We do not use the word “suspicious” randomly. In these deaths, there were women with a history of being subjected to violence and who wanted to leave the man they were with or married to. These are suspicious deaths that need to be investigated and clarified. Suspicious deaths of women can only be prevented through effective investigation and prosecution processes. In other words, all allegations must be investigated, and evidence must be collected. However, just as last month, Şebnem Köker’s case was acquitted without evaluating our demands; this month, Beyzanur Özel’s case was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Likewise, in the case of Aysun Yıldırım, which we have been following for years, the prosecutor gave a decision of non-prosecution. We filed an appeal against the decision, which was made without implementing effective processes. We continue to fight in courthouses and in places where women are murdered. We will reveal the truth behind the suspicious deaths of women. Just as we revealed that the suspicious deaths of Esin Güneş, Özlem Selek and Şule Çet were femicides, we will continue to fight for Aysun Yıldırım, Şebnem Köker and all women who lost their lives suspiciously. 

Law No. 6284 and Its Results  

Law No. 6284 regulates many measures, including restraining orders and protection measures. It provides women with many rights, from economic empowerment to changing their identity information. It came into force after years of struggle by women’s organizations. If Law No. 6284 is implemented effectively, it protects women. The enactment of Law No. 6284, which was introduced to protect women and prevent violence, was only possible after the Istanbul Convention was signed. 

In the case of Ömür Erez, who was shot in the head with a firearm at the health center where she worked by the man she rejected, the court sentenced the defendant Rahmi Uygun to aggravated life imprisonment without any discount for premeditated intentional killing. 

In the court case of Muhittin Köylüoğlu, a lawyer who sexually assaulted and harassed many women working in his office, he was sentenced to a total of 36 years in prison without any reduction on charges of multiple sexual assaults, sexual harassment and disseminating personal data. However, the defendant was released on the grounds of “the length of his detention, the length of the appeal period and the lack of suspicion of tampering with the evidence”. 

In the Pınar Gültekin case, Cemal Metin Avcı was sentenced to 23 years in prison with an ‘unjust provocation’ reduction. After the Gültekin family appealed the decision, the case was decided to be retried. 

All these examples show how vital the full and effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention and Law No. 6824 is for women. For the effective protection of women, injunctions must be implemented, the process must be followed, all units of the state must protect women’s rights, and public officials who fail to fulfil their duties must not go unpunished. 

Suspicious deaths of women should be revealed immediately 

As we have been stating in our reports for a while, there is a very serious increase in the number of suspicious deaths of women presented as suicides or natural deaths and in the number of women who were found suspiciously dead during the pandemic. Unfortunately, shedding light on the suspicious deaths of women can be even more difficult than femicides. It is necessary to reveal whether women were killed, whether they were killed by accident, whether women were killed on the basis of gender (whether it was femicide), whether they committed suicide or whether they were driven to suicide. 

In Denizli, 35-year-old math teacher Özge Duru was found suspiciously dead in her home. 

In Balıkesir, university student Nuran Kayar was found suspiciously dead in the sea. 

In Istanbul, 64-year-old Nazan Artan lost her life after falling from the 12th floor of her apartment. It was learned that the window from which the woman fell was broken. 

In Hakkari, 31-year-old Muhbet C., mother of two, was found dead with her throat cut. The man Muhbet was married to was taken into custody. 

In Bursa, 24-year-old E. Y. was found dead among animal manure. It was revealed that E. Y. was killed with a cutting tool two months ago. An arrest warrant was issued for the man E. Y. was married to. 

In Kayseri, 51-year-old Hikmet İmamoğlu was found dead in the back seat of an abandoned car on the road. 

In Istanbul, 76-year-old N. U. was found dead in her house. Her son, with who she lived, was taken into custody due to the bruises found on her body. 

What happened regarding women in January? 

The anti-LGBTIQ+ constitutional amendment proposal prepared by the political power under the pretext of “protecting the family” was accepted by the Constitutional Commission of the Parliament. 

Gülistan Doku, who disappeared in Tunceli on the 5th of January 2020, has not been found for 3 years due to the lack of an effective investigation. Even if years pass, we will not stop asking, “Where is Gülistan Doku?”. 

Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse Prosecutor Ercan Ateş, who prepared the file on H. K. G., who was forced into marriage at the age of 6 by Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, has been reassigned. Ercan Ateş had turned the investigation, which had been waiting for two years in the hands of another prosecutor, into an indictment. At H. K. G.’s hearing this month, the request of all institutions, except the Ministry of Family and Social Services, to intervene was rejected, and a confidentiality order was imposed on the file. 

In a meeting at the Sakarya Bar Association, which women executives did not attend, 5 male executives voted to establish a “Men’s Rights Center”. The center was closed down due to insufficient numbers. 

We Will Stop Femicides Platform was one of the winners of this year’s “Women of the Year” award given by the SES Equality and Solidarity Association. Our general secretary Fidan Ataselim received the award on behalf of our platform. 

The stories of the life struggles of the 31 women killed in January 

In Hatay, Suzay Ürek was stabbed to death by her son K. A. after she intervened when he was attacking his sisters with a knife. 

In Istanbul, 24-year-old Ülkü Deniz Ersöz died after being shot in the neck by Bedirhan Uysal, the man she used to be with. It was learned that he tried to kidnap her by forcing her into a vehicle in front of her house and shot her when she resisted. 

In İzmir, 22-year-old Ecem Seçkin was stabbed to death multiple times at her house by M. F. 

In Samsun, 50-year-old Zerrin Büyük was shot to death by her 17-year-old son A. A. Ö. when she went to see her children in their middle school. It was learned that Ali Ö., the man she used to be married to, informed their son A. A. Ö. that she was going to the school. 

In Kütahya, 31-year-old Ayşegül Türün was stabbed to death at her house by İsmail Türün, the man she was married to. 

In Kilis, 24-year-old Nihet Şemiye was shot to death in the middle of the street by Dibo Halil Muhammed on the pretext that she wanted a divorce. 

In İzmir, 40-year-old Necmiye Vural was shot dead at her house by Mehmet Atabay, the man she wanted to break up with after finding out he was married.  

In Istanbul, 23-year-old Dilara Gültay was strangled to death by Mustafa Payan, the man she used to be with, when he called her to his house. When her 30-year-old friend Cansu Demirel, whom Dilara had informed about her whereabouts, went to his house to ask about Dilara, the perpetrator also stabbed her to death. 

In Tekirdağ, 24-year-old Aysun Ahnas was stabbed to death in her home by Baver Gözetir, the man she was with. 

In Mersin, Emine Ekinci was shot to death with a firearm by Mehmet Ekinci, the man she was married to, on the pretext of jealousy. 

In Eskişehir, 25-year-old Tuğçe Can died after being stabbed repeatedly at the entrance of her house by Onur K., the man she was with. It is learned that the perpetrator attempted suicide before being caught. 

In Istanbul, 27-year-old Sultan Barut, mother of 2, died after being stabbed in the heart by Şener Barut, the man she was married to. It is learned that Sultan, who lived in Zonguldak, left the house due to severe incompatibility with the perpetrator, and the perpetrator had five criminal records for various crimes. 

In Malatya, 30-year-old Esengül Korkmaz, who was five months pregnant, was shot dead with a firearm by Kemal Korkmaz, the man she was married to. The perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun. It is learned that the perpetrator was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a drug offense but was released due to corona pandemic. 

41-year-old Mine Akgül was shot dead in the head with a firearm by 17-year-old B. A., her son. The perpetrator also wounded her brother by shooting him in the arm. 

In Bursa, 28-year-old Pelin Sezer was shot to death by 65-year-old Mehmet Mehdi Okulevi on the pretext of “asking for money”. 

In Tekirdağ, 30-year-old Ayşenur Akkurt was killed by her throat being slit by Rıdvan Kurt, the man she was living with. It was learned that the perpetrator, who attempted suicide after the incident, had nine criminal records for various crimes. 

In Antalya, 63-year-old Hülya Çetinkaya and 46-year-old Filiz Kaplan were burned to death by Okan Altay, their relative. It is learned that the perpetrator committed the murder on an economic pretext. 

In Kırşehir, 33-year-old police officer Aslı Yılmaz, mother of one, was shot dead in front of her child by police officer Hüseyin Emre Yılmaz, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was learned that Aslı had applied for an extension of her restraining order against him, but the court rejected it due to “insufficient suspicion that he would commit an act of violence.” 

In Samsun, 33-year-old Sena Dalkalem, mother of three, was stabbed to death by Ahmet Dalkalem, the father of the man she was in the process of divorce, on the pretext that she wanted to divorce. 

In Bursa, 41-year-old soloist Nurcan İnan was shot dead with a firearm by İzzet A. on the pretext that she rejected his marriage proposal. 

In Ağrı, Şirvan Gökser was shot dead by İlhami Gökser, the man she was married to, on the pretext of jealousy. 

In Denizli, 38-year-old Ummuhan Zerrin Uygun was killed by her throat being slit by Sinan Uygun, the man she was married to. 

In Muğla, 63-year-old Canan Öner, who had Alzheimer’s disease and was bedridden, was killed by her brother Uğur Öner, by making her drink hydrochloric acid. 

In Istanbul, 10-year-old Büşra Altun and her two siblings were hanged to death by Mahir Mehmet Altun, their father. 

In Eskişehir, 84-year-old Fatma Aslan, mother of 2, was shot dead by the retired sergeant Mehmet Aslan, the man she was married to. The perpetrator also killed her two sons. 

In Denizli, 25-year-old Mine Kocadağ, mother of 1, was killed by Mithat Kocadağ, the man she was married to. She had been missing for six months. It was learned that the perpetrator hid Mine’s body under a bed for two days and then buried her near his workplace. 

In Istanbul, 37-year-old Canan Semiz, mother of 2, was shot to death on the pretext of jealousy by Serdar Temiz, the man she had a restraining order against. It is learned that the perpetrator’s brothers sexually abused Canan’s son and were released after 3 years in prison. 

In Batman, 7-year-old Adara Arslan was strangled to death by Ömer Faruk Arslan, her father, in the boiler room. It was learned that the perpetrator killed Adara to make her mother suffer for wanting a divorce. 

In 2021, Miras Güneş was found dead in İzmir in her home. It was learned that Serdar Gülsoy killed Miraş by hitting her on the head.