Femicide data in the month of February, by city:
Data Highlights:
The reason behind 14 femicides could not be determined
This month, 23 femicides were committed, and 29 women were found suspiciously dead. 6 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, 2 women were killed on economic pretexts, and 1 woman was killed on another pretext. The reason behind 14 of the 23 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.
Women were most often killed by the man they were married to.
Of the 23 women killed in February, 10 were killed by the man they were married to, 4 by the man they were with, 3 by the man they used to be married to, 1 by an acquaintance, 1 by her son, 1 by her brother and 1 by her father. The relation of the perpetrator could not be determined for 2 women. This month, 43% of the women who were killed were killed by the man they were married to.
Women were most often killed in their homes
15 of the women were killed at their homes, 4 in the middle of the street, 2 in a car and 1 in another public space. It could not be determined where 1 woman was killed. 65% of the women killed this month were killed in their homes.
Women were most often killed with a firearm
14 of the women killed this month were killed with firearms, 6 with sharp objects, 2 by strangulation and 1 by being beaten to death. 61% of the women killed this month were killed with firearms.
It’s Not a Favor, It’s Our Right to Live. We Will Stop Femicides! We are in the Squares on March 8!
On March 8, we are flooding the squares across Turkey. Together, we have grown and strengthened our struggle over the years. Now, once again, we are in the squares against patriarchy, oppression, exploitation, inequality, and this system that suffocates our lives. Because we know that we will only achieve a free and equal life through struggle.
For women’s right to life, for our labor, for our freedom, and for our future, we will be in the squares on March 8. Together, we raise our voices against discrimination, impunity, and the patriarchy system that is reproduced every day. This struggle is stronger with you. We will not give up our lives, our rights, or each other. On March 8, we are in the squares, and the streets. Let’s fight side by side for a freer, more equal life!
· İstanbul – Kadıköy Bull Statue: 11:30; – Kadıköy Pier 13:00
· İzmir – 17:00: Alsancak Pier
· Manisa – 22:00: in front of Uğur Mumcu Theater
· Ankara – 17.00: in front of Kolej Subway Station
· Eskişehir – 14:00: in front of Venedik Bakery
· Gaziantep – 16:30: Yeşil Su Park
· Samsun – 16:00: Çobanlı Pier
· Bursa – 16:00 Mudanya Mütareke Square
· Mersin – 17.30: Özgecan Aslan Square
· Kırklareli – 21.00: in front of Cevahir Café
Six Women Were Killed in a Single Day
Of the 26 women murdered in February, six were killed in just one day. This picture once again demonstrates how systematic the oppression against women has become and how women’s right to life is increasingly under threat.
As femicides and suspicious deaths of women continue to increase, protective and preventive mechanisms are either not implemented at all, or claimed to be implemented but are not effectively enforced. Protecting women's lives is the clear responsibility of the state and all relevant institutions. If the necessary actions had been taken in time, if effective measures had been applied against perpetrators of violence, and if these processes had been seriously monitored, many women would have been alive.
Three of the six women killed in a single day were murdered because they wanted to divorce, and two were murdered because they had divorced. In other words, women were targeted because they made decisions about their own lives, wanted to leave, and tried to have control over their own lives. Women’s most fundamental right, the right to life, is being violated by men.
These women could have lived. They could have lived if Protection Law No. 6284 had been implemented effectively and fully. Therefore, not only the perpetrators are responsible for the deaths of these women, but also the institutions that delayed protection orders, failed to implement and monitor and neglected preventive measures.
We, women, know this: unless this system changes and the obligation to prevent violence is truly fulfilled, femicides will not stop. But we will not remain silent either. That is why we continue to fight for women in the squares, in the streets, in the courts, and in every area of life. We raise our voices against femicides, policies of impunity, and negligence; we continue to demonstrate for our lives, our rights, and our freedom.
As the We Will Stop Femicides Platform, our struggle will continue. Protection Law No. 6284 will be enforced. Those who are negligent will be prosecuted. Women will live.
11th Judicial Package Backtrack: The Result of the Struggle
The removal of provisions targeting LGBTIQ+ individuals from the 11th Judicial Package is not a favor, but the result of rising opposition and organized struggle. 116 institutions issued a joint statement opposing the proposals that criminalize LGBTI+ individuals.
The draft of the 11th Judicial Package, which was made public, included provisions punishing behaviour “contrary to biological sex and public morality” and criminalizing engagement or marriage ceremonies between people of the same sex. This was not merely a legal debate; it was a clear intervention targeting bodies, identities, and lifestyles. Although this withdrawal is significant, the threat has not disappeared. The very fact that these provisions were drafted shows that the political will targeting the existence of LGBTI+ individuals continues. That’s why remaining passive is not an option; greater solidarity and a stronger struggle are needed. We will continue our struggle.
Our existence is not a crime. We will not give up our rights, our lives, or our freedom.
Case Developments of February
In 2022, Gülbahar Kaya was stabbed to death 18 times and killed by the man she was married to. For two years, Arif Kaplan, Gülbahar’s father, took care of her three children. Due to financial constraints, it was decided that the children should be placed in the care of social services and the Ministry of Family and Social Services demanded 10,000 TL in alimony from Arif Kaplan.
In the case concerning the death of Duygu Bölükbaşı, who died in İzmir in 2022, the acquittal of the defendant was overturned on the grounds of insufficient investigation. It was stated that the chronological development of the incident was not taken into account and that there were inconsistencies in the autopsy report.
The lawyer for the family of Gülistan Doku, who has been missing for six years, said that some of the perpetrators had contacted him, that the incident had been covered up, and that a high-ranking public official of the time was responsible. It was stated that they could not share these names due to the confidentiality order in the file, but that they were now awaiting an arrest warrant.
In İzmir, Ceyda Yüksel was killed by 46-year-old Serkan Dindar, the man she was with, on the pretext of refusing sexual intercourse. She was pushed against a glass door, resulting in deep cuts to her body. The Supreme Court upheld the local court's decision in the murder case, which considered the rejection of the sexual advance to be ‘unjust provocation’, and rejected the appeal by the Ministry of Family and Social Services.
What happened regarding women in February?
We Will Stop Femicides Platform has published its 2025 Application Reception Evaluation Report. Click to read the full report (only in Turkish).
In Denizli, 43-year-old Habibe Atçalıoğlu was wounded after being stabbed 13 times by Ayhan Atçalıoğlu, the man she was married to, on the pretext that she was smoking. It was learned that the perpetrator stated in his testimony, “I intended to kill her”.
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 Iğdır, 28-year-old Ceren Işık was found dead in her home with a gunshot wound to the chest. Three suspects were taken into custody.
In Gaziantep, 25-year-old Meryem T. died after falling from a height under suspicious circumstances.
In Samsun, 70-year-old Fatma Yalçın was strangled to death in her home by Veysel Yalçın, the man she was married to.
In Diyarbakır, 15-year-old Amine Dursun was found in her home with a gunshot wound to the head from a long-barreled firearm.
In Antalya, 45-year-old Saliha Turan was found dead by the roadside. The investigation revealed that she had been killed the day before. M. T., the man she was married to, and her son Y. T., who had been released from prison on leave, were arrested as suspects.
In Eskişehir, Sevim Ö. was found dead in her home. The incident came to light when law enforcement entered the house after Mehmet K., the man she was married to, jumped from the 7th floor. It was revealed that some time had passed since Sevim’s death. The suspect was taken into custody.
The stories of the life struggles of the 23 women killed in February
In Aydın, 44-year-old Gül Seher Göksan was shot and killed with a firearm in a car by İhsan Odabaşı, on the pretext that she owed him money.
In Muğla, 39-year-old Özlem Arslan, mother of three, was stabbed to death in the middle of the street by Nihat Arslan, the man she was married to and in the process of divorcing, while leaving her home to go to work.
In Adana, Kadriye Alver, mother of three, was stabbed multiple times and killed in her home by Şevket Alver, the man she was married to.
In Sakarya, Selma Y. was shot and killed with a firearm in her home by A. Y., the man she was married to. It was learned that the perpetrator was a retired police officer.
In Ankara, 57-year-old Azize Cengiz, 28-year-old Beyzanur Uçan Cengiz, and 8-year-old Azra Cengiz were shot and killed with a firearm by Recep Cengiz. It was revealed that the perpetrator first went to the house where Azize and Azra were and committed the murder, and later disguised himself as a courier to kill Beyzanur. The perpetrator, who committed suicide after the incident, had been released from prison on leave.
In Kahramanmaraş, 39-year-old Alev Koç, mother of two, was strangled to death in a car by Hasan Hüseyin Subaşı, the man she was with, on the pretext that she wanted to end the relationship.
In Istanbul, it was determined that 32-year-old Ergashalieva Sayyora was also killed by the same suspects in the residence where Durdona Khakımova was murdered, and that her body was dismembered and thrown into trash containers in different districts. Additional legal proceedings for ‘intentional killing’ were initiated against the two perpetrators, G. A. K. and D. A. U. T., who are already under arrest, and it was reported that the suspects will be referred to the prosecutor’s office.
In Manisa, 72-year-old Emine Özer, mother of two, was killed by having her throat cut with a knife while she was sleeping in her bed by 83-year-old Ercan Özer, the man she was married to and with whom she had been experiencing ongoing conflict.
In Ankara, Songül Hakbilir was shot and killed with a firearm in the middle of the street by Serdar Hakbilir, the man she was married to, on the pretext that she wanted a divorce. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Van, 33-year-old Gönül Alkan, mother of four, was stabbed to death in front of her children by Kemalettin Alkan, the man she was married to. It was learned that Gönül had been subjected to violence for years and had filed multiple complaints against the perpetrator.
In Ağrı, 35-year-old Güler Özkan, mother of eight, was shot and killed with a firearm in front of her children by Servet Özkan, the man she was married to, on the pretext that she opposed the marriage of their 17-year-old daughter through the practice of ‘berdel’ (a reciprocal marriage arrangement where two families exchange daughters for marriage).
In Istanbul, 32-year-old Filiz Şağbangül was stabbed to death in front of her children by Gıyasettin Şağbangül, the man she was married to and in the process of divorcing, after he learned that she was staying in a women’s shelter.
In Osmaniye, 33-year-old İlknur Kor was shot and killed with a handgun in her home following an argument with Semih Öner, the man she had divorced. The perpetrator, who left the scene after the incident, committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Kocaeli, 55-year-old primary school teacher Aylin Polat Dağ was shot in the head with a handgun and killed by Erdal Dağ, the man she was married to and in the process of divorcing, while she was waiting at the Marmaray station, despite having a restraining order against him.
In Aksaray, 31-year-old Kübra Kılıç and her niece Zeynep Ayaz were shot and killed with a handgun in front of Kübra’s two children by Tolga Kuş, the man Kübra had divorced. The perpetrator committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Antalya, 41-year-old Aysun İnam was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in the residence of Özgür Yeke, who had sent messages to relatives saying he would commit suicide. Their bodies were found by relatives who entered the house after noticing the door was unlocked. It was determined that Özgür Yeke killed Aysun and then committed suicide with the same weapon.
In Gaziantep, 55-year-old Emine Yusuf was strangled to death by her brother Muhammed Vekil and three others who entered her home to steal her gold. Her 15-year-old daughter, who was at home with her at the time, was also stabbed and injured by the attackers.
In Istanbul, 42-year-old Gülten Ürkmez was shot and killed with a firearm in the middle of the street by S. Ü., the man she was married to and wanted to divorce. The perpetrator was caught.
In Sakarya, 49-year-old Nurcan G. was shot and killed with a firearm by Recep Kurtboz, the man she was living with and with whom she was in unofficial religious matrimony. The perpetrator committed suicide after the incident.
In 2009 in Manisa, 18-year-old Ebru Koyuncu, who was pregnant at the time, was strangled to death by Ufuk K., the man she was living with and with whom she was in unofficial religious matrimony. The murder was recently solved, and the perpetrator was arrested.