Istanbul - Fatma Akdeniz was killed by her husband in the Eyüp Güzeltepe neighborhood of Istanbul on Sunday. Nurtepe Güzeltepe Women’s Solidarity Network members held a protest at the place where Fatma Akdeniz was killed. The women unfurled banners reading, “Implement laws, stop femicides”, “We have no tolerance to be one less” and carried placards reading, “Judge murderers, not women”. Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm and many women attended the protest.

“At least 180 women were killed in the first six months of this year”

The women issued a statement and noted that at least 180 women were killed in the first six months of this year, most femicides were recorded as suspicious deaths, and “The government's male-dominated, misogynistic, homophobic, marginalizing policies kill women every day.” The women also criticized the statements of the Minister of Interior, who claimed that the number of femicides has decreased and that there is no unidentified murder anymore. “The Minister of Interior is openly lying. Femicide, violence, abuse, corruption, and hypocrisy exist in your rotten system,” the women said in the statement.

“Killers are released”

The statement also noted that all women living in Turkey face violence and threats at any time, “Women are wanted to be left unprotected against male violence. While the perpetrators are released under the guise of the pandemic, many women such as Nevin Yıldırım, Aylin Işık, and Gülşen Bilgi have been held in prison for protecting themselves. Protecting our lives is not a crime.” The women announced that they will follow the case.