Twenty women were killed by men in Turkey in October, while 39 others were found dead under suspicious circumstances, according to a monthly report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP).
Five women were killed by their husbands, four by current partners, four by former husbands and two by former partners. The other perpetrators included a father and an acquaintance.
Nine women were murdered in their homes, three on the street, two in vehicles, two at their workplaces and one in a recreational area.
Fifteen of the 20 women, or 75 percent, were shot dead with firearms. Three were stabbed to death, one was strangled and one was burned to death.
The platform said four women were murdered over decisions about their own lives, such as seeking a divorce or refusing to reconcile. One was killed for economic issues and another for rejecting a relationship proposal. The motives in the remaining 14 cases were unknown.
In Ankara 19-year-old Elif Kesen, who was pregnant, was shot dead by her father, Bülent Kesen.
In Antalya 49-year-old Canan Yıldırım was strangled to death by her partner, Talha Torbalı, after he poured boiling water on her at home.
In Kocaeli 58-year-old Füsun Yuluğkural was killed with a firearm at her workplace by her former husband, Erdoğan Büyükkurt, on the day of a court hearing over the division of their property.
In İzmir 51-year-old Ebru Serep died after her former partner, Abdullah Karabina, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire in her home. A restraining order had been issued against Karabina.
In Aydın 47-year-old Fadime Akbal was shot dead in the street by her former husband, Kamil Köse, despite a restraining order against him. Köse died by suicide after the murder.
In five of the killings, the women had previously sought protection from the authorities, or their attackers had been subject to protective measures or restraining orders, the report said.
The platform called for thorough investigations into suspicious deaths of women, warning that deaths initially reported as suicides, accidents or deaths from natural causes could conceal gender-based violence.
According to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, at least 294 women were murdered by men in 2025.
Women’s rights groups have criticized the government for failing to protect women and hold perpetrators accountable, criticism that intensified after Turkey in 2021 withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty aimed at preventing and combating violence against women.
