We Will Stop Femicides Platform November 2025 Report
We Will Stop Femicides Platform November 2025 Report
In November 2025, 29 women were killed by men, and 22 women were found suspiciously dead.
2025 November Report*
29 Femicides and 22 Suspicious Deaths of Women in November
The fight to stop femicides in Turkey has been going on for 15 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.
The reason behind 19 femicides could not be determined
This month, 29 femicides were committed, and 22 women were found suspiciously dead. 8 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, and 2 women were killed on economic pretexts. The reason behind 19 of the 29 femicides could not be determined. The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 19 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 29 women killed in November, 12 were killed by the man they were married to, 4 by the man they used to be with, 4 by their father, 3 by the man they were with, 2 by a relative, 1 by an acquaintance, 1 by her son and 1 by the man she used to be married to. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 1 woman. This month, 41% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to.
Women were mostly killed in their homes
17 of the women were killed at their homes, 5 in the middle of the street, 2 in a car, 1 in a hotel, 1 in a public space and 1 at her workplace. It could not be determined where 1 woman was killed. 59% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes.
Women were mostly killed with firearms
22 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 4 with sharp objects, 1 by strangulation and 1 with another weapon. The weapon which was used to kill 1 woman could not be determined. 76% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms.
We were in the Squares on 25th of November
On 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we were in the squares in many parts of Turkey, as we are every year. Together, we raised our voices against the political power’s attitude of disregarding women and ignoring suspicious deaths of women and femicides.
The Ministry of the Interior announced that 217 women were murdered in the first ten months of 2025. However, according to our records, at least 225 women were killed in the first ten months. And we know the names, ages, where and by whom these women were killed. In addition, Ali Yerlikaya stated that there were no unsolved murders during his time in the cabinet. However, our data shows a significant increase in suspicious deaths of women. In the first 11 months of 2025, 255 women died under suspicious circumstances. The deaths of women are often filed away without sufficient investigation.
As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we will continue to share accurate data and expand our organized struggle to stop femicides and shed light on suspicious deaths of women. As we have done every 25th of November, this year we were in squares across Turkey, raising attention on the suspicious deaths of women and that this violence is the responsibility of the political authorities. We will not give up the fight for women's right to life.
Women and Children Are Dying, Political Power is Talking About the Population
Events in November painfully demonstrated the extent to which the lives of women and children in Turkey are devalued. In a perfume workshop fire in Dilovası, female workers, including three under the age of 18, died. In Şanlıurfa, a 15-year-old child lost his life at his workplace. These are not ‘accidents’; they are the result of an unregulated and insecure system that exploits and cheapens children’s and women's labor.
While 20th of November is celebrated as World Children's Day, if children are still dying in workshops and warehouses, if they are burning to death in the most precarious and dangerous jobs, this constitutes a structural violation of their rights. Despite this, the focus of the political power shifts to how many children women will have and whether they are ‘lonely or not’. The actual disaster lies not in fertility rates, but in the systematic violation of women's and children's rights to life, labor and security. What we need are not population policies, but policies that end child labor, ensure workers’ health and security and truly recognize women and children as rights holders.
Sexual Violence Increases, Impunity Protects Perpetrators
Despite the prison sentences handed down to two perpetrators who attempted to sexually assault a woman in the middle of the street in Beyoğlu, the court ordered their release on the grounds of ‘length of detention’. They were also acquitted of the charge of ‘deprivation of liberty’. Once again, the judiciary reproduces policies of impunity that prioritizes the freedom of perpetrators over the safety of women.
In Kastamonu, in the case filed on the grounds that 13-year-old P. B. was sexually abused by her father’s coworker A. E. H., the court sentenced the perpetrator to 16 years and 6 months in prison for ‘sexual abuse of a child’ and 6 years for ‘deprivation of liberty’.
A new ruling has been issued in the case of Mahmut Aydın K., a teacher who was tried for sexually abusing numerous students eight years ago at a primary school in Antalya’s Kepez district. Following a partial reversal by the Court of Appeals, the defendant was retried for crimes against 19 children, and was sentenced to a total of 465 years and 9 months in prison for various crimes, including ‘aggravated sexual abuse of children’.
Case Developments of November
In Muş, the sentence given to Kaddafi Gören, who killed his stepmother Saide Gören and received reductions to his sentence for ‘unjust provocation’ and ‘good behavior’, was overturned by the Court of Appeals.
On 6th of January 2014, 71-years-old Asiye Şahin was found dead in her home, where she lived alone, having been sexually assaulted and stabbed 18 times. The investigation into her murder failed to identify a murder suspect and remained unsolved for nearly 10 years. 1.5 years ago, the Alaca Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office reopened the investigation file and the Security Branch Directorate teams determined, after 14 months of investigation, that the murder was committed by the elderly woman's caregiver M. E. Y. The suspect, who was in prison for another crime, was arrested by the judge at the Alaca Courthouse.
In the case of Ö. S., who was subjected to violence in Konya by M. H., on the pretext that she wanted to end their relationship, the perpetrator’s sentence was reduced, with ‘unjust provocation’ and ‘good behavior’ reductions, from 9 months to 4 months and 6 days.
What happened regarding women in November?
In Italy, a bill proposing severe penalties, such as life imprisonment, for femicides was unanimously approved by the lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, and became law.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was sexually harassed by a drunk man while greeting people on the street. Sheinbaum said “If I don't complain, what will happen to other Mexican women?”, and demanded that the harasser be punished and that penalties for harassment be increased.
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 Antalya, 71-year-old Emine Aşçı was found dead by a body of water.
In Ankara, 20-year-old university student Mizgin Ertekin died after falling from the fourth floor of her student dormitory.
In Aydın, 16-year-old Cennet Ovalı was found dead shot with a firearm in her room.
The stories of the life struggles of the 29 women killed in November
In Istanbul, 36-year-old Aydan Vural, mother of two, was found dead by her mother in the house of Gökhan Meral, the man she was with. It was determined that the perpetrator first shot Aydan and then committed suicide with the same weapon. He had five prior criminal records.
In Erzurum, 47-year-old Nermin Tirit was shot dead with a firearm in the middle of the street by Salih Aybaş, the man she used to be with. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon. It was learned that he had previously been imprisoned for his acts against Nermin and had been released on 22nd of October, 2025.
In Bursa, 20-year-old Arzu Khalilova, mother of two, was killed in her home with 75 stab wounds by Salih Can Mehmet, the man she was married. In his statement, the perpetrator claimed he killed her on the pretext that she asked him to look after their children while she went shopping.
In Istanbul, 27-year-old Melisa Kölekçi was shot dead with a firearm in a hotel room by Hakan Karakoyun. It was learned that the perpetrator, who had seven prior criminal records, killed two more people after the incident.
In Aksaray, 50-year-old Selvi Kavas was shot dead with a firearm by İbrahim Demir, the man she used to be with. It was learned that Selvi had obtained a restraining order against the perpetrator eight months earlier and that the order had recently expired.
In Antalya, 31-year-old Fatma Gıyar and her daughters, 10-year-old Meral Ebrar and 4-year-old Merve Gıyar were shot dead with a service weapon by police officer M. G., the man Fatma was married.
In Kayseri, Rabia Alaca was stabbed in the throat and killed in the middle of the street by R. A., the man she was in the process of divorce.
In Bursa, 40-year-old Yasemin Bulut was shot in the head and killed by Fevzi K., the man she used to be with. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Mardin, N. Ş., who was four months pregnant, was found dead in 2016. Nine years later, it was revealed that the murder had been committed by M. U. G. The perpetrator was arrested.
In Bilecik, Büşra Karlıdağ, mother of three, was shot dead with a firearm by Halil İbrahim Karlıdağ, the man she was married, on the pretext that she wanted a divorce. The perpetrator then attacked her daughter S. K. and committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Kars, 51-year-old Meryem Ş., mother of three, was stabbed to dead by Yavuz Ş., the man she was married.
In Istanbul, 34-year-old Firdevs Akgün was stabbed repeatedly and killed by Sedat Akgün, the man she was married. It was learned that the perpetrator had 19 prior criminal records and that Firdevs had previously filed a criminal complaint against him and had obtained a protection order.
In Izmir, Münire Yüzkar was shot dead with a firearm by Özcan Yüzkar, the man she was married.
In Diyarbakır, 52-year-old İlknur T. was shot dead with a firearm in her bed by her son Emre T. It was learned that the perpetrator, who also killed his brother, had been threatening female students at his school.
In Izmir, 30-year-old Feride Sayılır was shot dead with a shotgun by her father Hüseyin Sayılır. It was alleged that the perpetrator, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, had committed the murder on the pretext that no one would be able to care for Feride, who had mental and physical disabilities.
In Edirne, 60-year-old Türkan Demirci was shot dead with a firearm by her neighbor Cemal Sönmez. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Istanbul, 43-year-old Nuran Şimşek was shot dead with a firearm in a car by Enis S., the man she had divorced. The perpetrator was arrested.
In Gaziantep, 45-year-old Zehra Özkan, mother of three, was shot dead with a firearm by Recep Özkan, the man she was in the process of divorce. Zehra had obtained a restraining order against the perpetrator. He was taken into custody.
In Elazığ, 34-year-old Sümeyye Yıldız, mother of three, was shot dead with a firearm by Erdal Yıldız, the man she was married. The perpetrator was taken into custody.
In Kayseri, 60-year-old Makbule Mısır was killed by Suat U., the man her daughter was married. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Mersin, Emine Çelikaslan, mother of four, was shot dead with a firearm by Ali Çelikaslan, the man she was married, after the restraining order she had obtained against him expired. The perpetrator was arrested.
In Kayseri, 36-year-old Ebru Kekilli, mother of two, was shot dead with a firearm in the middle of the street by A. A., the man she used to be with. The perpetrator was arrested.
In Mardin, 33-year-old Berna Kaya and her daughter Samyeli Kaya was shot dead with a firearm by Mehmet Kaya, the man Berna was married. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In Ankara, 33-year-old Nurselen Gülaçtı was shot dead with a firearm by Fuat Y.
In Samsun, 34-year-old Gülşah Kahraman Kıyak and her one-year-old child had died in a traffic accident in September. It was later revealed that Serdar Kıyak, the man Gülşah was married, had staged the murder as an accident. The perpetrator committed suicide in prison after being arrested.
In Amasya, 76-year-old Fatma Kılıç was initially believed to have died from a gas leak in her home where she lived alone. It was later revealed that she had been strangled by a relative. The perpetrator, Haşim Ö., was arrested.
*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”