Twenty-two women were killed by men in Turkey in August and 33 others died under suspicious circumstances, according to a monthly report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP).
Nine of the women were killed by their husbands, three by acquaintances, two by their sons, two by former partners and two by relatives. A father and a former husband were responsible for one killing each, while the relationship between one woman and her killer could not be determined.
The platform said five women were killed over decisions concerning their own lives, while one was killed for economic reasons. The motives could not be determined in the remaining 16 cases.
Twelve of the women were killed in their homes and three in the street. Fourteen were killed with firearms, three with knives or other sharp objects, two died after falling from a height, one was strangled and one was burned to death.
The platform raised concerns about the growing number of suspicious deaths of women, citing the unresolved cases of Rojin Kabaiş, Gülistan Doku and Aysun Yıldırım. It said failure to collect evidence promptly, investigate contradictions and thoroughly examine deaths initially considered suicides or accidents can make it harder to establish what happened and can also contribute to impunity.
In Istanbul 26-year-old Nilda Müge Şahin was shot dead by her former partner, Nazir Ilgın, shortly after she filed a complaint against him. Ilgın had been released under judicial supervision and was subject to a restraining order. He was arrested after the murder.
In Diyarbakır 32-year-old Sultan Kara was shot dead by her estranged husband, Ersan Akdemir, in front of her young child. Kara had previously been subjected to violence by Akdemir, had obtained a restraining order against him and had received death threats, according to the platform. Akdemir was arrested.
In Istanbul 41-year-old Şerife Gezer was shot dead by a former partner from whom she had separated two years earlier. Gezer, who was being stalked by the man, sought refuge in a business establishment, but he followed her inside and shot her. Her family said she had been harassed by him for an extended period and had obtained a restraining order. He was arrested.
In Adana 25-year-old Asya Aydoğan, a mother of three, was shot dead in the street by her estranged husband, Yusuf Aydoğan. He then went to the home of Aydoğan’s family and shot and wounded her 16-year-old sister, according to the report. He was arrested.
Violence against women remains a pervasive problem in Turkey, where women are frequently killed, raped or subjected to physical abuse, according to women’s rights groups and monitoring organizations.
According to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, at least 294 women were murdered by men in Turkey in 2025.
Critics say policies of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government contribute to the problem by allowing perpetrators to avoid accountability. Such criticism intensified after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, formally known as the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
The convention is an international accord that requires governments to adopt legislation prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence and similar abuse as well as marital rape and female genital mutilation.
Despite opposition from the international community and women’s rights groups, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree in March 2021 that pulled the country out of the international treaty.
