In January 2026, 22 women were killed by men, and 14 women were found suspiciously dead.

2026 January Report*

22 Femicides and 14 Suspicious Deaths of Women in January

The fight to stop femicides in Turkey has been going on for 16 years. As the We Will Stop Femicides 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.

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:

Data Highlights:

The reason behind 20 femicides could not be determined

This month, 22 femicides were committed, and 14 women were found suspiciously dead. Of the 22 women, 1 was killed on economic pretexts and 1 was killed because her daughter refused to reconcile with the man she was married to. The reason behind 20 femicides could not be determined.

The inability to determine the excuse behind the murder of 20 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.

Women were most often killed by the man they were married to

Of the 22 women killed in January, 5 were killed by the man they were married to, 3 by the man they were with, 2 by an acquaintance, 2 by their father, 1 by her son, 1 by her brother, 1 by the man she used to be married to, 1 by the man she used to be with, 1 by a relative and 1 by the man her daughter used to be married to. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 4 women. This month, 23% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to.

Women were most often killed in their homes

16 of the women were killed at their homes, 3 in the middle of the street and 2 in a deserted place. It could not be determined where 1 woman was killed. 73% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes.

Women were most often killed with a firearm

11 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 5 by strangulation, 4 with sharp objects, 1 by being pushed from a height and 1 by being beaten to death. 50% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms.

From Münevver to Durdana

In the first month of the year, we saw it once again: women in this country are struggling to stay alive. In Şişli, Istanbul, Durdana Khakimova’s body was dismembered and thrown into a garbage container. This murder, though years apart, brings to mind the murder of Münevver Karabulut: the same brutality, the same climate of impunity.

As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, we repeat what we have been saying for years: We will stop femicides! While we should have been making progress on women’s rights, the space for secularism and freedom has narrowed and the Istanbul Convention was abolished. Women in this country fight for their lives every day; their age, ethnicity, or profession makes no difference.

Durdona came to Turkey to build a better life. Like Durdona, many migrant women come with different hopes; but they are killed in a system where they are not protected, not heard, where they are made invisible. At least 16 migrant women were killed in 2025.

We will not remain silent. We will not accept impunity, neglect, or lives without protection. We made a demonstration in Şişli for Durdona. We will continue our struggle: all women will live freely.

Suspicious deaths remain ‘suspicious’ because effective investigations are not conducted.

One of the unseen aspects of femicides in Turkey are the deaths of women that are left suspicious. Many women’s deaths are covered up by being labelled as suicides or accidents. The fact that the number of suspicious deaths of women exceeded the number of femicides in 2025 shows the magnitude of the problem we are facing.

Many cases that tried to be covered up are being reopened thanks to our struggle and the persistence of the families, new investigations revealing that these were indeed femicides. In the case of Hatice Biçmek, a teacher in Istanbul who lost her life after falling from the 7^th floor, the truth only came to light 17 months later, when DNA was found under the perpetrator’s fingernails. The fact that the perpetrator had previously been released shows how the system of impunity works.

The death of Havin Aşkan, who died under suspicious circumstances in the Bornova district of Izmir, has still not been clarified. The struggle of her family and ours continues. Our platform’s lawyers have taken power of attorney; we will follow Havin’s case.

Unless effective investigations are conducted, suspicious deaths continue to remain in the dark. But we will not remain silent: Our struggle will continue, we will shed light on suspicious deaths; we will not abandon any case.

Impunity Deepens, Femicides Increase

With the new penal enforcement regulation, many perpetrators have been released. Those responsible for protecting women are releasing those who threaten women. Moreover, information about the release of these perpetrators, who have previously committed crimes against women, is often not communicated to the women in a timely and effective manner.

It is no coincidence that the perpetrators of the three women murdered in January were former convicts; it is a direct result of a system of impunity. In a climate of impunity, femicides are increasing and men are emboldened. We demand effective protection, strict supervision and immediate preventive mechanisms. We will continue to fight for women’s right to life.

Case Developments of January

In the case of Derya Buçan, who died suspiciously in a car accident in Aydın on December 20, 2024, it was revealed that Rıdvan Buçan, the man Derya was married to, had actually shot her in the head with a firearm. The investigation revealed that the perpetrator had searched online for a firearm three days before committing the murder. A case was filed against the defendant, seeking an aggravated life sentence for the crime of ‘intentional murder against a woman’.

After it was revealed that Mihriban Yılmaz was murdered by Fatih İnan in İzmir, the case of Naile Büşra Sarıgül will be reopened. Naile was found dead under suspicious circumstances in 2023 but her case was closed as a heart attack. She worked at the same factory as the perpetrator, and traces of his sperm were found on her body, leading to his arrest. However, he had denied the allegations, and the prosecutor had dismissed the case.

In the case of 47-year-old Sevgi Gülden Yalçıner, who was killed in Kırıkkale and threw into the river by her brothers Ş. G. and K. U., the perpetrators were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.

What happened regarding women in January?

In Gaziantep, 26-year-old Nazlı Y. was beaten to death in the street by the man she is married to. It was learned that Nazlı would need a platinum plate for her broken bone and that she was at risk of losing sight in one eye.

In Gaziantep, 31-year-old Sibel Külah, mother of two, was tied up with adhesive tape and had acid poured over her head by Adem Külah, the man she was in the process of divorcing. It was learned that Sibel suffered burns to her scalp and vision loss.

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 Sakarya, 14-year-old İ. S. fell to her death from her school window.

In Mardin, 14-year-old Nur Banu Ö. was found shot dead with a firearm.

In Mardin, 20-year-old Çiğdem Akyüz was found suspiciously dead in her home, shot dead with a firearm.

The stories of the life struggles of the 22 women killed in January

In Antalya, 62-year-old Nora Dzuliashvili died in the hospital after being shot with a firearm by her nephew Hasan Ali Yıldız.

In Izmir, 65-year-old Naime Z. was found dead in the basement of her apartment. It was determined that she was stabbed to death by her son Emre Z. on economic pretexts.

In Antalya, 43-year-old Songül Canatan and her 7-year-old daughter Sena Canatan were killed by their throat being slid with a knife by security guard Zübeyir Canatan, the man Songül was married to.

In Mardin, 41-year-old Sümeyye Khaled Abira and her 44-year-old sister Süheyla Özdaş were shot dead with a firearm by Muhiddin Bağlan, the man Sümeyye was with. It was learned that the perpetrator, who was caught while attempting to flee abroad, committed suicide in prison.

In Istanbul, it was revealed that Nuriye Dilmaç, who had been missing for two years, was strangled to death after being lured into a trap by Dursun D., the man she used to be married to, and his son Eren D. It was learned that the perpetrator had previously threatened to kill and bury Nuriye.

In Ankara, 28-year-old Esra Muratoğlu was strangled to death by Orhan Kırtıl, the man she was with.

In Izmir, 25-year-old Mihriban Yılmaz was beaten and strangled to death by Fatih İnan. It was learned that the perpetrator had held Mihriban captive for 10 days and buried her in the ground after killing her.

In Adana, 8-year-old Ada Altunbaş was shot dead with a firearm by her father Sergen Altunbaş. The perpetrator, who also killed his 6-year-old son Mert, committed suicide with the same weapon after the incident.

In Istanbul, 28-year-old teacher Hatice Biçmek died under suspicious circumstances after falling from the 7^th floor of her apartment two years ago. Beytullah Ö., the man she was with, was detained at the time but was later released. Two years later, Hatice’s DNA was found in samples taken from under the perpetrator's fingernails. The perpetrator was arrested.

In Konya, 19-year-old Nida Türkmen was shot dead with a firearm by her brother Nadir Türkmen. The perpetrator, who had recently been released from prison and had nearly 10 criminal records, also wounded their mother and then committed suicide with the same weapon.

In Antalya, Helin Kutlay was shot in the head and killed with a firearm by İ. K., the man she had married three months earlier.

In Çorum, 64-year-old Satı Bulut was shot dead with a firearm by Hasan Bulut, the man she was married to. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.

In Izmir, 26-year-old Gözde Akbaba was shot dead with a firearm in her home by Lokman Etken, the man she used to be with. It was learned that Gözde had previously obtained a restraining order against the perpetrator.

In Istanbul, the dismembered body of 37-year-old Durdano Khokimova was found in a trash container and a suitcase. The perpetrators D. A. U. T. and G. A. K., and their accomplice E. K. was caught.

In Izmir, 18-year-old Dilan Geyik was found dead hanged at her home. An effective investigation and the perpetrator’s suicide note revealed that Dilan had been strangled to death by Mustafa Bingöl, the man she was with.

In Ankara, Erkan Bartan opened fire on 54-year-old Sevkin Koçak and her mother Ülker Koçak, on the pretext that Sevkin, who he used to be married to, rejected his reconciliation offer. It was learned that Ülker died at the scene. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.

In Manisa, 41-year-old Pınar Karataş, mother of seven, was shot dead in the street by Hayrettin Karataş, the man she was married to and in the process of divorcing, and against whom she had obtained a restraining order. The perpetrator was arrested.

In Istanbul, 93-year-old Fatma Demircan was beaten to death with a cane by her grandson Volkan G.

In Bartın, 44-year-old Rukiye Çakır, mother of four, was shot dead with a hunting rifle by Nihat Çakır, the man she was married to.

67-year-old Samiye Karabıyık was found dead in her home 10 years ago. It was determined that Mustafa Karataş was the perpetrator of the murder. The perpetrator was identified due to the similarities with the case in which he had killed Ketevan Katamadze seven years earlier.

*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, which we conceptualize as “the killing or forcing into suicide of women and girls across the life course, from embryo to fetus, infant to child, adult to elderly, by a man, under the pretext of their gender or their actions deemed contrary to perceptions of gender identity. Femicide should not be understood merely as a murder of women; rather, in these hatred-driven acts, what is targeted is the female identity itself.”