In the first six months of 2024, 205 women were killed by men, and 117 women were found suspiciously dead.
2024 June Report*
In the three years since the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on July 1st 2021, our data has made visible how vital the Convention is for women. In June, there were 41 femicides and 25 suspicious deaths of women. This is the highest number of femicides we have ever recorded. When we look at the first six months of each year since the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, we see that the number of femicides has increased. According to the data of the first six months, there were 131 femicides in 2021, 164 in 2022, 147 in 2023 and 205 in 2024.
Femicides and Suspicious Deaths of Women are Rising; the Government is Attacking Women’s Rights.
Despite such a significant increase in femicides, the political power and its supporters are relentlessly attacking women’s rights. At every chance, they open Protection Law No. 6284 and the Civil Code for discussion. For example, they are trying to render Law No. 6284 dysfunctional with the 9th Judicial Package. They are taking steps that will jeopardize women’s lives, such as planning to make it possible to challenge the forced imprisonment of men who violate protection orders. We will continue our struggle for the implementation of Law No. 6284, which they try to weaken and abolish. In the first six months of 2024, 16 women were killed despite injunctions. Those who are obliged to implement the injunctions but fail to fulfil their duties should be prosecuted, as in the cases of Serpil Erfındık and Hülya Şellavcı, and necessary punishments such as compensation penalties should be imposed.
Under the name of protecting the family, they oppress women and children and try to strengthen patriarchy. However, we, women, will not allow any of our rights to be opened for discussion, and we will continue our struggle for the effective implementation of the laws. As in the Civil Code Workshop we organized this year, we will discuss the issues we are the subjects of. We will enforce Protection Law No. 6284. We will continue to reveal the truth behind suspicious deaths of women. Our struggle will not stop; we will stop femicides.
The Truth Behind Suspicious Deaths of Women Must Be Revealed Immediately!
In the first six months of 2024, there were 117 suspicious deaths of women. Almost none of the suspicious deaths in previous years have been clarified. The truth behind only a few suspicious deaths was revealed in the first six months of this year. For example, it was revealed a month later that Emine Derviş, who was found dead in her home in April, was killed by the man she was married to. While suspicious deaths of women can be clarified with effective investigations, the authorities are responsible for the 117 suspicious deaths of women that are left in the dark. In the first six months of 2024, 12% of the women who were found dead under suspicious circumstances, were shot with a firearm. The high number of deaths caused by firearms is a result of the uncontrolled increase in individual armament. The actual suspicious situation is the lack of effective investigations and the failure to reveal the truth behind the deaths while the murder weapon used to kill women is so obvious. The number of suspicious deaths caused by women falling from a height in the first six months is also striking. In the first half of 2024, 12% of suspicious deaths of women occurred as a result of falling from a height. In addition, 64% of women’s bodies were found in their homes, while 12% in or near water and 9% in deserted places. Women die in their homes, a place that should be the safest for them. The perpetrators continue to kill women by making it look like an accident or suicide. As long as the truth behind suspicious deaths of women is not revealed and effective investigations are not carried out, the perpetrators are emboldened.
The government is trying to increase the birth rate while children live under the threat of abuse and death, and some children are killed along with their mothers. According to our data on femicides, 14 girls have been murdered this year. Of the 14, 9 were killed together with their mothers. Since we only keep data on femicides, we do not know the data on boys. Perpetrators use children as a threat when women want to make decisions about their lives. For example, in June, in Kocaeli, a man threatened his wife by taking their baby hostage after an argument. In İzmir, Umut A. shot his two daughters with a firearm because the woman to who he used to be married to, refused to reconcile. One of the children was injured, while Tuğçe A. was killed. In Eskişehir, Gökhan Çiftçi killed his wife, Sibel Çiftçi and Sibel’s daughter, Cemre Gürpınar.
In the first six months of 2024, we saw news about child abuse and child forced marriages every day. In İstanbul Bağcılar, Metin Şenay, who systematically abused four children for four years, was sentenced to 293 years and six months in prison. However, there are still hundreds of abuse cases that remain unpunished and unresolved. In order to prevent these, preventive and protective policies must be developed, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Lanzarote Convention must be effectively implemented. The political power that offers so-called support to increase the birth rate must first protect children at risk. We also know that the promised support for women with children is not being provided in practice. Women are fighting for rights, such as daycare centers and are battling with their bosses.
The reason behind 114 femicides could not be determined
In the first 6 months of 2024, 205 femicides were committed, and 117 women were found suspiciously dead. 65 women were killed on the pretext of wanting to make decisions about their own life, such as wanting a divorce, refusing to reconcile, refusing to marry, or rejecting a relationship, 12 women were killed on economic pretexts, 1 woman on hate pretexts of and 13 women were killed on other pretexts. The reason behind 114 of the 205 femicides could not be determined. The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 114 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.
By whom were the women killed?
Of the 205 women killed in the first 6 months of 2024, 86 were killed by the man they were married to, 22 by the man they were with, 20 by the man they used to be married to, 19 by their father, 15 by an acquaintance, 11 by the man they used to be with, 10 by a relative, 9 by their son, 4 by a stranger and 3 by their brother. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 5 women.
Women were mostly killed in their homes
117 of the women were killed at their homes, 46 in the middle of the street, 7 in a car, 5 in a deserted place, 4 at their workplace, 4 in a public place, 3 in a hotel, 3 in a field, 2 in an entertainment venue and 2 in a place other than these. It could not be determined where 12 women were killed.
Women were mostly killed with firearms
120 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 64 with sharp objects, 11 by strangulation, 3 by being beaten to death, 2 by being burned to death and 1 by being pushed from a height. The weapon which was used to kill 4 women could not be determined.
Femicide data in the first 6 month of 2024, by city:
What happened regarding women in June?
Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University administration removed the phrase “gender, sexual orientation and ethnic origin” from the Hippocratic Oath. Students protested the administration by remaining silent during the reading of the text.
At Ordu University, the “sexual orientation of the patient” part of the Hippocratic Oath was censored during the graduation ceremony. When the students did not accept this censorship, the Vice Dean had the students removed from the hall.
In Kocaeli, a high school administration did not allow students wearing dresses to attend the graduation ceremony on the pretext of ‘inappropriate clothing’. In Ankara, E., who was accused of immorality for sharing a video of her dancing in a high school on social media, committed suicide by jumping from the classroom window.
The Turkish Language Association removed sexist idioms from use to promote egalitarian and non-violent discourse in the language.
Case Developments of June
Hülya Şellavcı was murdered by the man she was in the process of divorce and against whom she had filed four criminal complaints and had a restraining order. In the non-pecuniary damages lawsuit filed over her death, the Ministry of Interior was found at fault on the grounds that the administration failed to protect her right to life.
Last year, Gülten Ataklı was killed by police officer Mürsel Ataklı, the man she was in the process of divorce. Although life imprisonment on the charge of ‘deliberate murder’ was asked, the perpetrator was sentenced to 24 years in prison without any justification.
In June 2023, Büşra G. was killed by Erol G. on the pretext that she wanted to break up with him. The defendant was released after he said, “I didn’t shot to kill but to injure”.
Mohammad Nizar Arnabeh, who was on trial for allegedly killing Anastasiia Emelianova with a piece of glass last year, was acquitted on the grounds that there was not enough concrete evidence despite his confession of murder in his previous statement.
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 Muğla, 48-year-old Demet Ersoy was found suspiciously dead after falling from the terrace of the hotel where she was staying.
In Rize, 40-year-old Aylin Ekşi was found dead in her home with a gunshot wound. Law enforcement officer Aydın Samet Ekşi, the man she was married to, was taken into custody.
The stories of the life struggles of the 41 women killed in June
In Mersin, 40-year-old Şule Özlem Ural was found strangled to death in her home. The perpetrator, Atilla Yeter, who was caught with the smashed safe on his motorcycle, confessed that he beat Şule and took the safe.
In Ankara, 23-year-old Esma Şimşek was stabbed to death by Hasan Şimşek, the man she was married to, on the pretext of having a relationship with someone else. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Gaziantep, 30-year-old Dibe Cevat was killed with a sharp object and thrown into a garbage container in a sack by Abdo Cevat, the man she was married to.
In Istanbul, 86-year-old Hatice Turan and her son were killed with a firearm by her other son, Kenan Turan, on the pretext of an inheritance dispute.
It was revealed that 24-year-old Sedef Güler, who was thrown into the sea in Istanbul with her hands and arms tied and wrapped in a carpet with a 10-kilogram dumbbell, was killed by Yavuz Güngor.
In İzmir, 45-year-old Nurtaç Köçer was strangled to death by İbrahim Köçer, the man she was married to. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Aydın, 50-year-old Nursel Türkmen was beaten to death by Mestan Türkmen, the man she was in the process of divorce.
In Adana, 40-year-old nurse Saniye Arslan, mother of two, was shot dead in her car on her way to work by İhsan Uğurlu, the man she used to be married to.
In Şanlıurfa, 29-year-old Nur El Süleyman was killed with a sharp object by her neighbour Demmam Zerur to take her gold bracelets.
In Ankara, 44-year-old Semiha Koca and her 5-year-old daughter Hilal Nur Koca were shot dead with a firearm by Yakup Koca, the man Semiha was in the process of divorce. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Ankara, 30-year-old Lale Polat was stabbed to death in the back and killed by M. Polat, the man she was in the process of divorce. It was learned that the perpetrator sold Lale Polat’s belongings after killing her.
In Eskişehir, 31-year-old Merve Karabaş, mother of one, was shot dead with a firearm on her way to work by her father, Osman Nuri K. Her 7-year-old son was also shot and killed by the perpetrator while trying to escape.
In Kırıkkale, 80-year-old Gülistan Avcı was stabbed to death by her neighbour O. T.
In Istanbul, 23-year-old Gece Yanıker was murdered by an unidentified man.
In Eskişehir, 45-year-old Sibel Çiftçi and her 16-year-old daughter Cemre Gürpınar were shot to death with a firearm by Gürkan Çiftçi, the man Sibel Çiftçi was married to.
In Denizli, Meral Tınastepe was shot in the face with a shotgun by Şeref Ç., the man she used to be married to. Musa Ayaz, the man Meral Tınastepe was with, was also killed by the perpetrator.
In İzmir, 15-year-old Hacer Çağla Çetinalp was stabbed 120 times by Umut Erhan Y., the man she used to be with.
In Denizli, 24-year-old Büşra A. was stabbed multiple times by Umut A., the man she was married to, on the pretext that she did not want him to get custody of his child from his first marriage. The perpetrator also stabbed her 4-year-old son to death.
In Mardin, nurse Merve Şahin, mother of one, was shot to death with a firearm by police officer Hasan Şahin, the man she was married to. The perpetrator killed their 3-year-old son and committed suicide after the incident.
In İzmir, 62-year-old Aysel Genç was shot to death with a firearm by Davut Y, the man her daughter Seher Genç was with. The perpetrator also shot and wounded Seher Genç, who wanted to break up with him.
In Kayseri, Nazlı Aslantaş was stabbed to death by D. A., the man she was married to.
In Ankara, Victoria Vera Blyth, mother of two, was shot to death with a firearm by David Thomas Blyth, the man she was married to, on the pretext of jealousy.
In Mersin, the 26-year-old Seher Aktekin, mother of three, was shot to death with a shotgun by Bekir Aktekin, the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator committed the murder two days after being released from prison, where he was detained for ‘possession of unlicensed weapon’.
Nurseda Acar, who was shot by her father, Nevzat Acar, in Kocaeli on October 23rd, 2023, passed away eight months later. On the day of the incident, the perpetrator had come to the house of Nurseda’s mother, Züleyha Acar, whom he was in the process of divorce, and shot at Nurseda and her brother under the pretext that they were trying to prevent him from entering the house. Züleyha was killed by the perpetrator while talking to the police.
In İzmir, 31-year-old Fatma Kahraman was shot to death with a firearm in the street by R. Kahraman, the man she was married to and with whom she had financial disputes.
In İzmir, 33-year-old Gülsüm Mertoğlu was stabbed to death by S. M., the man she was in the process of divorce and who had many criminal records.
In Balıkesir, 55-year-old Maizer Gökyıldız was shot to death with a firearm by Cevri Gökyıldız, the man he was married to. The perpetrator attempted suicide after the incident.
In Antalya, 44-year-old Ayten Çağıran was killed by her throat being slit by Abdulkadir Kocaoğlu, the man she used to be married to. It was revealed that the perpetrator had followed Ayten for three days before killing her. The perpetrator, who had a record of various crimes, was arrested.
In Adana, 19-year-old Şükran Eba, her mother Leyla Erat, her father and her brother were murdered by Hakim Eba, the man Şükran was in the process of divorce. The perpetrator fled with their newborn baby after the incident. The perpetrator was caught.
In Diyarbakır, 33-year-old Hilal Kar, mother of one, was shot to death with a firearm by Mehmet D., the man with whom she was in unofficial religious matrimony and had been separated for a year and a half. Mehmet D., who had been reported to the police several times for using violence against Hilal Kar, has still not been caught.
In Gaziantep, 68-year-old Fatma Mercandağı was shot dead by Mehmet Emin Mercandağı, the man she was married to. The perpetrator was detained.
In Konya, 42-year-old Ümmü Döğer, mother of four, was shot to death by Arafa Yıldırım, the man she used to be with. It was learned that her restraining order against him was renewed 14 days before the murder. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Antalya, 24-year-old Nihal Babayiğit, mother of one, who had a hearing disability, had been missing since October 9th, 2023. It was revealed that she was killed by Mehmet Basık, the man she was with.
In Elazığ, 26-year-old Selen Akpolat was shot to death with a firearm by Fırat Bulut, the man she was with. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Tekirdağ, 22-year-old Irmak Yaşar was shot to death by Şenol Yaşar, her father. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Adana, 29-year-old teacher Hatice Çelik was shot to death with a firearm by Gökhan Çelik, the man she was married to and had gotten a restraining order against. The perpetrator was detained.
In Elazığ, 27-year-old Yüsra Binnaz Çimtay, mother of one, was stabbed to death by Enes Eyüp Koca, the man she used to be married to. The perpetrator was arrested.
In Eskişehir, 57-year-old Hatice Usalan was shot to death with a firearm by Necmettin T., the man she used to be with. It was learned that Hatice had previously taken an injunction. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
*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”