We Will Stop Femicides Platform 2023 Annual Report
In 2023, 315 women were killed by men, and 248 women were found suspiciously dead.
2023 Annual Report*
As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we have been collecting data on femicides since 2008. In the past 15 years, the only year in which femicides decreased was 2011, the year the Istanbul Convention was signed. Since the start of the discussions around the Istanbul Convention, there has been an increase in femicides and suspicious deaths of women. In another year we spent without the Istanbul Convention, there has been a notable surge in femicides and suspicious deaths of women. Despite the fact that the effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention saves women’s lives, the political power withdrew from it.
In 2023, women were mostly killed in their homes
65% of women killed in 2023 were killed in their homes. Houses, which are supposed to be the places where individuals feel the most secure, became the graves of 205 women this year. This data indicates that homes have become the most unsafe places for women. Families, often considered the fundamental building blocks of society, are costing the lives of many women. The flexible working model mentioned by the Minister of Family and Social Services in recent months not only increases the burden of care on women but also confines women to their homes, where they are the most insecure, as evident from the data we have been disclosing for years.
Women were mostly killed with firearms
Of the women murdered this year, 31% were stabbed to death with a sharp object, while 55% were shot with a firearm. The fact that 60% of the femicides in 2022 were also committed with firearms proves how negligent legal regulations on individual armament in Turkey are. Women pay the price of the ease of access to unlicensed firearms and the lack of control, with their lives.
Women are being killed on the pretext of wanting to make decisions about their life
In 2023, the pretext behind 58% of the femicides could not be determined. Unless the pretexts and the perpetrators behind the acts of violence against women are identified, the perpetrators cannot be held accountable and preventative measures are hindered. Among the femicide cases for which the pretext is known, approximately 70% of women were killed on the pretext of the women wanting to make decisions about their own lives. This means that women are mostly killed because of the decisions they make exercising their own free will, such as wanting to break up or divorce.
In 2023, women were mostly killed by the men they were married to
This year, 41% of the women who were killed were murdered by the man they were married to. In addition, 30 of those women were in the process of divorcing the perpetrator. While women struggle for their fundamental human rights of freedom and security, they lose their lives in the grip of violence when they seek a divorce. When it is so difficult for women to get a divorce, we see that the right to alimony is being opened up to discussion. We see the Minister of Family and Social Services, the highest authority in this matter, upon taking office making statements like “Alimony victimizes men”. While eliminating economic inequality, empowering women economically and increasing social welfare should be among the state’s priorities, the authorities are opening the right to alimony to discussion. They force women to choose between poverty and violence.
Women of all ages were killed by men
We conceptualize femicide as the killing or forcing into suicide of individuals of the female gender, from embryo to fetus, infant to child, adult to elderly, by a man, simply because of their gender or on the pretext of their actions contrary to the gender stereotypes and the perception of gender identity. Our data shows that women in this country are forced into gender stereotypes and killed by men under these pretexts, regardless of age. This year, 35% of the women killed were young women between the ages of 19-35. Young women face death when they want to break up, work, and make decisions about their lives. 39% of the young women murdered this year were under the pretext of making decisions about their lives.
The system of impunity continued in 2023
Impunity gives criminals the courage to commit crimes again. In 10% of the femicides that occurred in 2023, the perpetrators had previous criminal records. What does this mean? It means that these femicides were committed by perpetrators who had a criminal record for another crime, had been convicted or had been released from prison on leave. Damla Dakım, who was murdered in September this year, was killed by Neşet Güneş, who was on leave from the open-air prison where he was convicted of ‘attempted intentional homicide’. Özlem Küçükyılmaz and her mother Nezife Çetingök were murdered by a perpetrator who had committed femicide 15 years ago and was released after seven years of imprisonment. The perpetrator Mehmet Dinç, who was imprisoned for stabbing Fatoş Çetin, was released after four months and stabbed Fatoş Çetin to death. A justice system full of inaction and discounts must stop, and mechanisms to protect women must be effectively implemented. As long as impunity continues and protective and preventive measures are not implemented, femicides continue to increase.
Women were killed despite protection orders.
In 2023, a total of 28 women were killed despite having protection orders. These protection orders, issued by the state and must be implemented, are a vital lifeline for women. However, 28 women were killed because these orders were not implemented. We ask, have the relevant law enforcement officers been investigated? Protection Law No. 6284 is not implemented, and women are being killed. In the remaining 291 femicides, whether the women had protection orders could not be determined. This shows that there is a problem with women’s access to the institutions where they can obtain protection orders. Due to pressure and fear, they cannot go to law enforcement or are sent back from police stations. Another issue is that it is not known whether women had protective orders; it is being hidden. We ask, is this information concealed to hide the fact that the state is not properly fulfilling its duty? The Minister of Family and Social Services had said, regarding the Protection Law No. 6284, “If there are mistakes in its implementation, they should be corrected”. Since the minister took up office in May, 19 women have been killed despite having protection orders. When does she plan to fix these mistakes? When does she intend to implement Law No. 6284?
The perpetrators also target women’s relatives.
In 2023, a total of 315 femicides were committed. In 62 of these femicides, the relatives of the woman were targeted as well. In 41 cases, women’s relatives were killed along with them, and in 21 cases, the relatives were injured. Male violence targets not only women, but also their relatives who fight to protect them. This is the result of non-preventive policies and the irresponsibility of the authorities. Every official who encourages violence instead of protecting women, who give courage to the perpetrators, is an accomplice. We will continue fighting against the authorities’ evasion of their responsibilities, their policies that encourage criminals and their attitudes that disregard the safety of women.
Women’s employment status cannot be undetermined.
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 9 million 62 thousand. According to TÜİK, the number of women who were not included in the labour force in the third quarter of the year (July-August-September) was 21 million 80 thousand. Last month, the Ministry of Family and Social Services announced they were preparing a flexible working plan for women. 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 year, 17% of the women were employed, 2% were unemployed, while the employment status of 81% was unknown.
We will reveal the truth behind the suspicious death of women
We have been collecting data on femicides and suspicious deaths of women for years. We have seen that every year since 2019, the number of suspicious deaths of women has been increasing and approaching the number of femicides. In 2023, 248 women were found suspiciously dead. 19% of these suspicious deaths occurred as a result of falling from a height. Realizing that they can no longer legitimize femicides and aware that the authorities are not fulfilling their duties, the perpetrators attempt to cover up the murders of women. Doğan Can Gündüz, who murdered Fatma Duygu Özkan by pushing her from the window of her house in August, had claimed that Fatma had committed suicide. It was the testimony of eyewitnesses that revealed that it was a murder. The perpetrators get this courage from the deputies who say, “We will sort out Protection Law No. 6284”, from the ministers who open the right to alimony and co-education into discussion, and from the authorities who do not conduct effective investigations into the suspicious deaths of women. However, we know that most of these suspicious deaths of women are actually femicides that are being concealed and that if an effective investigation and prosecution are carried out, there will be no more deaths left suspicious. We saw this in the case of Gamze Uslu, for whom we have been fighting for justice with her family for ten years. The verdict in Gamze’s case, who was thrown to her death from the 4th floor of the hotel where she was staying with her fiancé Baki Can Gölcü, was upheld by the Supreme Court and the perpetrator was ordered to be arrested after ten years. The murderers who are not arrested even when the murder is revealed, and the courts that almost encourage murder by giving ‘good behavior’ discounts, will find us before them. We promise all women, as the Women’s Assemblies of the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we will reveal the truth behind the suspicious deaths of women trying to be covered as suicides. We will stop femicides.
According to the data we were able to access, 162 of the 315 women killed this year had children and 3 of them were pregnant. For 134 women, it couldn’t be identified whether they had children or not.
According to the data we were able to access, 155 of the 315 women killed this year were married and 72 were single. The marital status of 88 women could not be determined.
Femicide data in 2023, by cities:
WE WILL LIVE SECULAR, WE WILL LIVE FREELY, WE WILL STOP FEMICIDES!
In 2023, we fought against oppression, disasters and poverty. In every incident, we experienced the difficulty of holding on to life as women. While the tyranny of the political power and its allies continued towards women and LGBTQ+, we witnessed a big earthquake and its consequences. We were crushed by inflation and the increasing cost of living.
In 2023, we continued our struggle for our rights without stopping. We said, “We are here!” to those who tried to use women’s rights as political material. They tried to shut down our Platform, Protection Law No. 6284 was attacked repeatedly, and the Istanbul Convention was no longer mentioned; the only thing they did was to try to undermine and harm women. But we did not give up; we did not pause. Throughout the year, we resisted and fought back in squares, courthouses, everywhere. This year, the most reactionary parliament in history was formed. They campaigned on anti-secularist, racist, misogynist and bigoted ideologies. They attacked Protection Law No. 6284 – the lifeline of women. They targeted egalitarian- and co-education. They actively targeted and tried to usurp the equal citizenship rights of LGBTQ+s and criminalize their existence. They proved once again that they cannot tolerate the existence of women and LGBTQ+s.
In May, we shared data on the highest number of femicides and suspicious deaths of women so far. It is, of course, not a coincidence that this data coincided with the election month. During the general elections, the rhetoric targeting women and the attacks on laws and institutions protecting women encouraged the perpetrators. This was the result of the propaganda of the AKP and its allies on women’s rights. The perpetrators found courage from those who attacked women’s rights and in the continued policy of impunity. But as we always say, we won these rights through our struggle. We will defend our rights in the same way as we stood firm in the closure case against our Platform. We will not allow your political propaganda to be based on our acquired rights. Our struggle will continue until every woman lives freely.
With the earthquake in February, we suffered great pain. We lost our families, our friends, our loved ones, our sisters. We all know those responsible for this pain, for these losses. Those who forced the people to live in rotten buildings, the so-called authorities who allowed the construction of those buildings, those who sold the tents and food, which were the right of the people for money and those who made the aid systems inoperable; you are responsible, and you will answer for these crimes.
In the post-earthquake period, women and LGBTIQ+ people were among the most disadvantaged groups. They were deprived of fundamental rights like hygiene, shelter, nutrition and safety. Through our solidarity networks, we tried to reach those who could make their voices heard. Although almost a year has passed since the earthquake, there are problems in meeting basic needs in the earthquake zone. As if the government did not ask for millions from the people after the earthquake, it is once again asking money from the earthquake victims for the TOKİ houses promised to be built.
Throughout 2023, people struggled with the economic crisis. With inflation and the rising cost of living, it became more and more difficult to make ends meet. Young people and women were the ones most affected by this poverty. Even though women were among the most affected, the right to alimony was brought up for discussion. While the political power did not make any effort to empower women economically, it tried to take away their right to alimony. It is obvious that this is an attempt to make it harder for women to divorce. They want to leave women to their own fate by forcing them to stay in marriages where they are subjected to violence. We will not give up any of our gained rights. We will not let alimony or Protection Law No. 6284 be touched!
Our Struggle Continued in Squares, Courthouses, Everywhere
In 2023, we continued our organized struggle for women all over Turkey.
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, we were in the squares for a life without violence and devastation. We stood shoulder to shoulder against those responsible for the deaths in the earthquake, femicides and suspicious deaths of women.
On May 1st, we were in Maltepe, marching against the patriarchal capitalist system.
On November 5th, we ran the Istanbul Marathon for women’s freedom and rights.
On November 12th, we had our Secularism and Freedom March in Istanbul. Hundreds of women came from all over Turkey to defend secularism, freedom, rights and laws. Many women’s organizations also supported us. We made a promise to ourselves and all women: we will erase misogynists from the parliament and history. We marched against those who threatened women’s acquired rights. We will protect Protection Law 6284, the right to alimony, co-education and our freedom. Against your reactionary assembly, there are the Women’s Assemblies!
On November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we were in Kadıköy with other women’s organizations. We declared, “We will reveal the truth behind suspicious deaths trying to be covered up as suicides; we will stop femicides!”. We kept the women who were murdered alive in our struggle by carrying their photos on our flags. On November 25th and 26th, we were in the squares in many parts of Turkey. In Mardin, İzmir, Eskişehir, Manisa, Konya, Çorum, Bursa, Gaziantep, Tekirdağ, Adana, Ankara and Samsun, women were in the squares to end violence and exploitation.
On December 10th, we participated in the Democratic Rally for Secularism and Freedom in Kadıköy. We declared, “A free and secular future will come with us”.
We demanded accountability in the places where women were murdered. Under the balcony where Sezay fell in Gaziantep and where Fatma fell in Istanbul, we fought for women whose truth behind their suspicious deaths has not been revealed.
We were at the courthouses all over Turkey. Despite those trying to establish a culture of impunity, we became the voice of women and girls standing by their side in courthouses. We fought against those attempting to cover up abuse in the H. K. G. case. We fought for Zerrin Kılınç, Nefes Balkan, and many other women.
In 2023, those who proclaimed they will stop femicides were put on trial. We met many times at the Çağlayan Courthouse for the closure case against our Platform. On September 13th, our final hearing was held, and the closure case was rejected. Once again, they saw that they could not stop us.
We met with women. Through panels, universities, neighborhood houses, press conferences, festivals and parks, we came together with women for our organized struggle and rights.
In 2023, we adorned our justified struggle with awards. These awards belong to all women who stand against inequality. We were honored with the “Act Human -Human Development Award” by the Human Development Foundation (İNGEV). The Architect Mimar Kerem Türker Foundation’s “Lale Dikmen Türkmen” award given in the field of gender was also given to our Platform. We thank everyone who stands by us on this path. Our struggle continues!
Case Developments in 2023
In the case of 6-year-old H. K. G., who was forcefully married and sexually abused, Kadır İstekli, the man H. K. G. was forced to marry, was sentenced to 30 years, her father Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel to 20 years and her mother Fatıma Gümüşel to 16 years and 8 months in prison.
The 25-year prison sentence given to Baki Can Gölcü, who killed Gamze Uslu, whom he was with, ten years ago by throwing her from the 4th floor of the hotel where they were staying, was approved by the Supreme Court. After ten years of trial without arrest, the perpetrator was finally arrested.
Cemal Metin Avcı, who strangled Pınar Gültekin to death, put her in a barrel and burned her body, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and the ‘unjust provocation’ discount was removed by the local court. The acquittal decision for the suspect’s brother Mertcan Avcı was also overturned, and he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for ‘the destruction, concealment and altering of evidence’.
Tunahan Türker, who had killed Nefes Balkan by pushing her down from the 5th floor of her house in İzmir in 2021, was sentenced to life imprisonment without any discount for the ‘intentional murder’.
72-year-old Hasan Yağal, who was acquitted of killing 3-year-old Müslüme Yağal due to lack of evidence, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for ‘qualified sexual assault’ against his daughter-in-law and 5 years 7 months and 15 days for ‘harassment’ against his own granddaughter.
In the case of Zerrin Kılınç, who died after suspiciously falling from the 2nd floor of her house in Eskişehir, the defendant Yılmaz Sazak was acquitted of the charge of ‘intentional murder’ due to lack of evidence. The court justified his acquittal on the grounds that Zerrin Kılınç committed suicide out of the fear of being broken up with.
In the month of December, 28 women were killed by men, and 27 women were found suspiciously dead.
We would like to share the names of the women, each of whom was a life:
Case Developments of December
In Konya, Sabit Türk, who threw a chemical substance on the face of Merve Küçüktekin, who he used to be with, was sentenced to 15 years in prison without any discount for ‘attempted aggravated intentional homicide’.
In Bursa, Nurullah Meral, who stabbed Nazlı Meral to death, whom he was married to, had claimed to have psychological problems. He was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for ‘intentional murder against spouse and woman’ on the grounds that he was mentally fit.
In Antalya in April, Ebru Gürpe was killed by Yılmaz Gürpe, the man she was in the process of divorce, on the pretext that she had cheated. The prosecutor stated that the perpetrator had cheated on Ebru and was using infidelity as an excuse to benefit from an ‘unjust provocation’ discount on his sentence and demanded aggravated life imprisonment for ‘premeditated murder of a spouse’.
The stories of the life struggles of the 28 women killed in December
In Kocaeli, 25-year-old Sibel Kayman was killed with a firearm by Mikail Kurulay, the man she was with.
In Tekirdağ, 42-year-old Mediha Sepetçi had an argument with the man her daughter was married to because he was using violence against her daughter. After the argument, the perpetrator followed Mediha and killed her with the rifle he brought with him.
In Edirne, Fadime Korkusuz was murdered by Muammet G., the man she used to be married to. On November 2nd, after an argument, the perpetrator burned down the house while Fadime was in it. Fadime was hospitalized with injuries and died 36 days later. It was learned that the perpetrator had six separate criminal records.
In Mersin, 24-year-old İrem Sağlam was killed with a firearm by Mehmet T. A., the man she was with.
In Şanlıurfa, 33-year-old Dünya Özbilgi, mother of eight, was tortured to death by Ahmet Özbilgi, the man she was married to. The perpetrator gave a statement to the police saying, “I slapped her, and she fell to the ground.” when he took Dünya to the hospital. The perpetrator was arrested after one of Dünya’s children filed a complaint to the police with the photos of the room where he tortured her and the duct tape he tied her with.
In Manisa, 58-year-old Tülin Turantekin was murdered by Alaattin Turantekin, the man she was married to. The perpetrator also killed Tülin’s brother and then committed suicide.
In Ankara, 25-year-old Mine Nur Ala, mother of two, was murdered by her throat being slid by Emrah Ala, the man she was in the process of divorce.
In İzmir, 43-year-old Fazile Çavdar was stabbed to death by B. Ç., her son, after an argument.
In Ankara, 25-year-old Nursena Kozan, mother of one, was shot dead with a firearm by Şafak Şahin, the man she had divorced a year ago.
In Bursa, 32-year-old Burcu Ayda, mother of four, was stabbed to death by Mustafa Ali Ayda, the man she was married to. It was learned that her restraining order against the perpetrator expired 11 days ago.
In Afyonkarahisar, 24-year-old Havvanur Şenol Taşkın was shot dead with a rifle by Mert Muhammet Taşkın, the man she had divorced three years ago. The perpetrator also killed Havvanur’s mother Cemile Şenol, grandmother Emine Tanış and father with the same gun.
In İzmir, 29-year-old Gözde Karamus was shot in the back and head with a firearm by Serdar Karamus, the man she was in the process of divorce. The perpetrator attempted suicide after the incident.
In İzmir, 43-year-old Gurbet Ayaz was killed by her throat being slid with a cleaver in the middle of the street by Metin A., her nephew. It was learned that the perpetrator was addicted to drugs and had a criminal record of ‘intentional injury’.
In Ankara, 38-year-old Sultan Başer, mother of four, was shot to death by Mikail Başer, the man she was married to, on the pretext of jealousy.
In İzmir, 35-year-old Zehra Barbak, mother of one, was stabbed to death by Kayhan Barbak, the man she was married to, on the pretext of jealousy.
In Mersin, 50-year-old Dudu Uslu was shot to death by Önder Deligöz, her brother, on the pretext of a land deed dispute. After the incident, the perpetrator committed suicide with the same gun.
In Bayburt, 41-year-old Filiz Çankıroğlu, mother of six, was strangled to death in her house by Fuat Sağut, the man who worked in the same restaurant with her.
In Van, 35-year-old Ç. G., mother of three, was shot to death with a firearm by security guard F.G., the man she was married to. The perpetrator then committed suicide with the same gun.
In Mardin, 31-year-old Zeynep Gül Kuşçu, mother of three, was shot in the head in the middle of the street by Ahmet Tahir Erat, the man she used to be married to. It was learned that the perpetrator called Zeynep on the pretext of showing her their children.
In Zonguldak, 40-year-old Yeliz Yolcuoğlu was shot to death in the woods near her house by gendarmerie specialized sergeant Muhammet D., the man she was with. The perpetrator shot Yeliz ten times in various parts of her body and then turned himself in.
In Ankara, Ayşe Oruç, mother of one, was shot to death with a firearm by Orkun Oruç, the man she was married to. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same gun.
In Ankara, Derya Demir, mother of three, was shot dead by Satılmış Demir, her father-in-law. It was learned that Derya was married and being subjected to violence by Yusuf Demir, who committed suicide one week ago. She had not filed a complaint due to threats from Yusuf Demir’s family.
In Aydın, Gülbeyaz Savaş, mother of two, was stabbed to death by Hasan Savaş, the man she was married to.
In Osmaniye, Hediye Koyuncu, who was seven months pregnant, was stabbed to death in various parts of her body by Salim Koyuncu, the man she was married to. After the incident, the perpetrator attempted suicide by driving his car off a cliff.
In Konya, 35-year-old Ayşe Gezer and her 17-year-old daughter Gözde Nur Doğan were shot dead by Bekir Doğan, the man Ayşe had divorced three months ago, on the pretext of jealousy.
*Our Report: Every month, the news on violence against women in the press includes cases, new incidents and details about the women's movement. We compile the news reflected in the press and the applications that come directly to us, reach a number and prepare our report within this framework. We analyze, compile and evaluate our Femicide Report according to the concept of femicide. In other words, the conceptualization of femicide is; “the killing or forcing into suicide of individuals of the female gender, from embryo to fetus, infant to child, adult to elderly, by a man, simply because of their gender or on the pretext of their actions contrary to the gender stereotypes. and the perception of gender identity. Femicides should not be perceived sorely as murders in which people of the female gender are killed. In these murders committed with hatred, what is attacked is the female identity itself”