Hundreds protest against femicide in Turkey after shocking double murder: Video
Hundreds of women took to the streets of Istanbul, protesting against the rampant femicide in Turkey following a shocking double murder in the country’s largest city.
The demonstration, which has entered its eighth day, has sparked a nationwide outcry, with women demanding justice and accountability. Since the beginning of 2024, 299 women have been killed in Turkey, a nation of 85 million people, the AFP reports.
Chants of "Erdogan assassin! AKP assassin!" echoed through the crowd, directed at Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been in power since 2002. Protesters accused the government of failing to protect women and turning a blind eye to gender-based violence.
Among the demonstrators was Gulizar Sezer, the mother of femicide victim Sedef Guler. "Where is the state? Where is justice?" Sezer cried out. "The state is as guilty as the criminal who killed my child. I will hold it accountable until the end."
Hülya Gülbahar, a prominent women's rights activist and lawyer, highlighted the shortcomings in enforcing Turkey’s Law No. 6284, which provides protection against domestic violence. “If Law 6284 was properly implemented, thousands of women’s lives would have been saved," Gülbahar said, emphasizing that impunity for perpetrators remains a "systematic state policy."
According to The Monument Counter, a platform that tracks gender-based violence in 2023, the number of femicides reached 416.
